


Hearts in the Desert

by WretchedFool



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Asari - Freeform, Batarians, Brothels, Drell - Freeform, Elcor, F/F, F/M, Hanar, Krogans, Salarians, Turians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 22:03:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 23,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1202209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WretchedFool/pseuds/WretchedFool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young woman is kidnapped from an insular human colony and sold to a high-class brothel for the pleasure of a mysterious Turian and other alien men. Life proceeds as usual until the Madame buys a handsome Drell and orders the human to train him ...</p><p>Original characters set in ME universe. Deliberately Thane-ish Drell character. Lots of romance. Warnings: Explicit sex, non-con sex, BDSM, menstrual fetish, fat-shaming, body hair. Not for the easily-offended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> Notes on alien biology in my story: I incorporate some of the Turian fan-canon but not all of it. The decorations on a Turian's head are more appropriately called a crest instead of fringe. The cowl-jacket is called a suparum, and as with hoop skirts on humans, the garment exaggerates the form underneath. 
> 
> Asari wouldn't have clitorises because they don't have males for whom the anatomical equivalent is a penis (no, I don't care that Bioware put clitorises on Ardat-Yakshi). Salarians reproduce by the female depositing eggs and the male fertilizing them, with no sexual intercourse involved. A Salarian has a cloaca with no external or emergent genitalia.

Bright light. Harsh wind. Ear-blasting sound of engines. She was being dragged up the hill. There was something blotting out the sky, a hovering spaceship. She was thrown into the line of younger teenage boys and girls, who were whimpering and crying. A hover-drone with a camera panned its lens across each one of them. An unintelligible voice boomed from the spacecraft's loudspeakers. A rough hood tossed over her head, her hands cuffed behind her back, and she was dragged into confusion, movement, sightless chaos.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What seemed like hours later, after being shoved around, tripping, being (apparently) cursed at by the harsh strange voices, and hearing the muffled whimpers of the other kids, Molly seemed to be alone. She was also thirsty, hungry, and needed a toilet, badly. The cuffs wouldn't budge and her shoulders and arms were cramping. But she managed to get off the floor and toss her head and shoulders around enough that the hood came off.

She was in a small room with metal surfaces. There were dim lights set into the walls, illuminating mostly-empty shelves. One area was free of shelves and had a seam down the middle - maybe the door. Her old duffel bag was open on the floor with the contents spilled, ripped, but she saw that some of her books were intact. With some difficulty, she went through her possessions, throwing them back into the bag. Nothing seemed to be missing, which wasn't a surprise because she didn't have much worth stealing. Except her multi-tool with a knife and saw, of course. The stuff on the shelves looked like small spare parts for machines, nothing sharp that could have cut the heavy-duty plastic on her wrists.

Tentative, awkward knocking on the presumed door, then yelling, brought no response. Sometimes there were sounds in the walls, mechanical sounds, and the room seemed to shift. It occurred to her that she was still on a spaceship. What happened to the other kids?

Molly sat in the corner and waited. The only thing she could read in the dim light was a book of fairy tales in large type, her favorite from when she was a child. She re-read stories of princesses, witches, dragons and ogres. When no one came she laid her head down on the lumpy duffel bag and slept.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

For a minute, she thought she was in a nightmare. There were two faces looking over her, speaking incomprehensibly. The faces weren't human. She couldn't ward them off because her hands were still cuffed behind her back.

There was a woman -- well, she looked vaguely female and her voice sounded feminine, but she was blue. Her skin was blue and she had no hair, but something else on her head. The other one looked completely inhuman, and it jabbered in a rapid patter. Molly tried to scream as the blue woman poked at her and the monster goggled at her, but nothing came out of her mouth.

The creature hoisted her duffel bag on one shoulder and then the two pulled her up. The hood went back on her and she was dragged along, through doors and past the harsh voices. She found her own voice and began to protest, but they ignored her.

Finally she was put on a chair, her hood and cuffs removed. The blue woman was there. She smirked and left, and Molly found herself alone in a tiny room with a toilet. "At least I can go now," she thought gratefully, and relieved her aching bladder.

There wasn't much else in the room besides a small metal shelf, holding two boxes and a bottle; and a mirror on the wall. She opened the first box and saw a flashy gold necklace. She set it down and opened the second box, which held a chocolate truffle. She bit into it and it was the most delicious thing she'd ever eaten. She savored every bite, letting it melt on her tongue while her eyes rolled back into her head. There was a piece of soft textured fabric draped over the chair; she touched it and it was so soft, she had to caress it and touch it to her face. Then she reached for the bottle. The water tasted strange.


	2. Chapter 2

Molly woke up and heard voices. She was strapped down and those two nightmare faces hovered over her again. Except now she was beginning to understand them. There was a sharp pain in the base of her skull but she couldn't reach it.

"Where am I? Who are you?" she said, a rising panic clearing the fog from her brain. Suddenly she realized she was stark naked, cold, and her feet were up in stirrups as if she were at the gynecologist. But her ankles were strapped down. It really was a nightmare.

"Don't struggle, my dear. I am Madame K. and this is Dr. Jetumseh," said the blue face.

"What are you doing with me?"

"I bought you from those Batarians for my house. You should be thanking me profusely."

"House? But what are you?"

The blue woman just laughed contemptuously.

"What are we? You mean what species? I am a Salarian and Madame K. is an Asari," the doctor-monster said in rapid, clipped tones. "I'm surprised your colony is so insular that you've never seen other intelligent species before."

"New Suffolk is known for its religious and human-centrist fanaticism," Madame K. replied. "And that's an advantage in your favor, Molly. No matter what you think of us, you've never seen a Turian before either. The Gentleman will like that."

"Turian? The Gentleman?" Molly said. "Wait - why can I understand you now?"

"Implant. That pain you feel is the insertion point for a combined translator module and control chip," said the doctor.

"Control? Why am I strapped down? Let me go!" said Molly, testing her bonds.

"We performed tests and examinations. We already did most of them before you woke up," the doctor said rapid-fire while turning aside. He returned with a needle, swabbed her arm and jabbed it. "This is an important one."

"Ouch! What was that?"

"To test your compatibility with Turian biology. Some humans experience extreme allergic reactions from contact with Turians, all the way up to anaphylactic shock."

"Can I have some clothes please?" Molly said. She looked around the room and saw what looked like medical equipment. 

"All in good time, my dear. Your corpse won't care if it's naked," Madame K. laughed from a chair nearby.

"Here, this may help," Dr. Jetumseh touched a button on the bed and it warmed under her. 

"So, Molly, it looks like you're not a virgin," the Madame said. "How many men did you have and how often?"

"Only two teenage boys and not that often, do I look like someone the handsome guys are falling over each other to get?" she said with some bitterness. "I'm too fat and poor."

"Men will be trampling each other to have you, when I'm done with you," the blue woman remarked. "Did you like being with those boys?"

"It was ... disappointing," she admitted.

"Not as good as when you played with yourself?"

"Errr ..."

Eager to change the subject, she craned her neck to look at the blue woman and asked, "You said you bought me for you house, am I to be your maid?" Molly said. Now she could see the woman had somewhat pebbly skin and her head seemed to have protrusions growing out of it. She was wearing an unusual dress that displayed ample cleavage; the outfit would have shocked and scandalized the folks back home.

"Oh no, darling, if you pass this test, you're going to be one of my working girls. You'll have a rather special place, as matter of fact."

"Working? What kind of job?"

"You really are an ignorant fool of a human, aren't you? Let me spell it out to you: men will fuck you for money. Money they pay to me." The words came out in a punctuated sneer.

"A prostitute?!? I don't want to be a whore!" Molly cried out in a strangled voice, struggling at her bonds once more.

"Don't worry, the Conthoral is a high-class establishment. We'll take good care of you, won't we, Doctor."

"What if I refuse?" Molly said. Suddenly she didn't feel so superior over the other kids left in Batarian hands.

"You're my investment. I own you. You can't refuse." Madame K. picked up a small device and touched a button. Molly screamed as a jolt of unexpected pain wracked her body. "You're livestock to me, and I'll do what I see fit to turn a profit from your flesh. Remember that." The pain stopped. "I hope I don't have to use this on you again. You're going to the House Conthoral where you will have the finest clothes and food. You will have ample time for recreation. And your clients will be high-class visitors. The others from your colony would envy your fate."

"Ahem," the Doctor coughed. "The base test time has expired. I see no signs of irritation on the injection site and obviously she's still breathing. Will continue to monitor but I think she's passed the compatibility test."

"Excellent," Madame K. said, clapping her hands together. "Let us send a message to the Gentleman." A ball of light appeared over her palm.

"This is Madame K. and Dr. Jetumseh reporting on our new acquisition. We have a wonderful girl for you. She is 19 years of age and very natural. She has never seen anything but humans before, much less a Turian. Molly has lovely long dark hair and pale skin. She has a curvy figure and the tightest, sweetest little pussy. She is an adorable farm girl who loves to read old Earth literature and is completely ignorant of everything else. I believe she's a very sensual specimen. And she's passed the compatibility test. We'll make her perfect for you. Madame K. out."

The blue woman swept out of the room. The Doctor unstrapped Molly from the bed and gave her a robe. "Sit here for a bit. I want to make sure there are no complications from that last shot." He gave her a bottle of water. "This is not drugged. Sorry about the previous one."

Molly looked at him and decided he wasn't that frightening. He was strange but not really monstrous after all. A big face with huge eyes and two horns protruding from the top of his head. He had an oddly shaped, oddly positioned body. His clothing looked modest compared to the dress on the blue woman. 

"Does she own you too?"

"No, not exactly. I don't have a control chip. She controls me in other ways," he said rapidly. "But enough of that. Tell me about your colony that is so surprisingly ignorant."

Molly laughed nervously and wrapped the robe tighter around herself. "I know. Well, I know we were ignorant. My parents used to joke about it when no one else was around. They said there were aliens, but it was better for us kids not to know anything about them."

"New Suffolk, Protestant evangelical fundamentalist cult casted anglophile colony of humans." His words came out very rapidly. What was your caste?"

"My caste?"

"Your class, your place in society."

"My family, we were farmers, close to the bottom of the pile. And we had dark hair and Irish ancestry, and we weren't religious enough."

"You were the oldest in that group of tributes to the Batarians? Why was that?"

"We had been told that twelve kids, six boys and six girls, were sent to another colony every year. Usually 13-16 years old. The girls would be placed in good households and eventually married off. The boys would be apprenticed and get good positions. Why would a chubby, dark-haired farm girl get an opportunity like that? But last night -- or whenever -- two town men came to take me to Saint Gabriel's Hill. They gave me 15 minutes to pack a bag. I threw in some of my favorite books and not much else."

"Maybe somebody decided to substitute a more vulnerable subject for their son or daughter. Anyway, Batarians prefer their slaves to be on the young side. More pliable. When they found you were older, they decided to sell you off right away. The Madame has been looking for a human girl and jumped right on this shuttle to buy you."

"Wait - the Batarians took the other colony kids as slaves?"

"Yes, Batarians still practice slavery on the basest level. Barbaric practice," the alien said, waving his oddly shaped hand.

"What is a Batarian anyway? Are they human? Why would our colony give human children to aliens? I think I heard their voices, they sounded strange."

Dr. Jetumseh made a snorting noise. "Batarians are raiders, pirates. Not humans. Your colony leaders were probably buying them off so they wouldn't be raided." He paused a moment, then continued. "You're luckier than the other humans. They are probably being acquainted with Batarian anatomy at this very minute."

Molly shuddered. "You said you're a Salarian? Do the Madame's girls have to serve you? Do I?"

"No. Salarians are not interested in sexual intercourse," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "My people reproduce in a way that avoids most of the nonsense. Very rational." He moved a scanning device over her. "I serve the Madame as a doctor and scientist. I treat illnesses and injuries and also perform assessments as we are doing now. Occasionally, research."

Illnesses and injuries? That didn't sound good. Remembering what Madame K. had said earlier, "Who is this Gentleman? What is his name?"

The Doctor answered carefully, not looking at her: "He is a Turian, very rich. He likes human girls. I don't know his real name. Madame K. brings a new one in every so often. After a year or so he buys the girl from her."

"What happens to them after that?"

"I don't know."

"What's a Turian, anyway?"

Ignoring her question, he bent over her arm. "Let me look at the injection site again."


	3. Chapter 3

Molly was gagged, hooded and bound by the hands. They made her lie down in a box, some sort of shipping container. In the darkness she felt the box being moved. 

After hours of jostling and suffocating darkness, the container opened again. Madame K.'s now familiar blue face was above her, motioning for her to get up. Molly stood up with some difficulty. While the Madame removed her bonds, she looked around.

The walls were covered in beautiful fabrics, and there were a few windows. Among the pieces of furniture there were a small sofa and a large, four-poster bed. A door looked to open on a large bathroom, a second door looked possibly to open on a closet. The third door stood closed. The doors were familiar: heavy wood and hinged one side, with knobs.

"This will be your home now. You are not to leave this suite until the Gentleman comes to see you."

She gestured around the room. "You'll take your meals in here. You will be visited by myself and a few others during your confinement. I know you like to read. I'll have your books brought in. You won't be too bored or lonely."

"Take off those ridiculous clothes and take anything you like in here," she said, motioning to the evident closet and a chest of drawers. "No more dressing like a poor farm girl."

Molly sat down on the bed and took her boots and socks off. The top cover of the bed was smooth like a satin fabric she'd once seen in town. She ran her fingers over it, wondering how much it cost and how many times others had lain on it.

"When will the Gentleman come? How long do I have to stay here?"

K. just smiled imperiously and swept out of the room. The door shut behind her and it sounded as if it had locked. Molly tried the knob and it didn't give. She looked around, peered out the windows at the city beyond. Exhaustion finally caught her and she collapsed on the bed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Some hours later she awoke. Gazing around the room, she realized that the hangings and ornaments on the walls, the furniture, the bed clothes, they looked wrong. Then she realized they were mismatched. She wasn't an expert but she saw designs of Medieval European, Victorian, East Asian, and other styles; and many of them looked "off." It was an alien's idea of what a human's house should look like. While touching the hangings, she found many were on rods and there were mirrors underneath.

A few windows on one side allowed a view to the expanse of the city. She looked down and realized they were high up in a very tall building. Many buildings looked very tall, and they sparkled magnificently in the sunlight. There were flying cars and shuttles zooming past. The window glass could slide open to allow some air through a mesh screen so fine, it was barely visible. The mesh screen didn't open.

The bathroom was almost as large as the main room. It was tiled in off-white material with floral designs. The shower was big enough for two people at least, and so was the tub. The tub sat up on little animal-shaped feet and had old-fashioned spigots. The sink was expansive with lovely carvings on the sides, under a mirror with the same design. There was a cabinet behind the mirror full of small bottles and jars and tubes.

The smaller door opened to a closet. There were expensive clothes on the racks, some that offered little clue as to how to actually put them on. And the shoes set on racks on the floor - did they expect her to walk in such high heels?

The door opened and Madame K entered with an alien who looked vaguely like the Doctor, but smaller and with a more distinct air of defeat. 

"Dee Dee will bring your meals and clean your rooms." Dee Dee nodded deferentially and asked "How may I serve you?" in such a fast, high-pitched voice that it was hard to make out the words.

"Oh, I'm all right, " Molly said, feeling embarrassed. "I can take care of myself, it's no trouble."

"Dee Dee lives to serve, don't you," K. said firmly. "Molly, you are no longer a peasant. It's not your job here to do any menial tasks.This idiot frog's purpose is to serve you."

Dee Dee set about straightening the room, which didn't need that much straightening. Molly's heart went out to the little alien.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dee Dee brought her meals, cleaned her rooms, brought laundry in and out. There were pills to take at different times. The food was strange to her at first and caused her some gastrointestinal discomfort until she adjusted to it.

Dee Dee seemed high-strung. Molly tried to talk to him and help with his cleaning routine. The Salarian would refuse any offer of help and didn't talk much. When he did, his vocabulary seemed very limited. He was like a whirlwind in reverse -- he came in almost spinning about and the place was much neater when he was done.

The Madame showed her how to wear the clothes, put on subtle makeup and scents, walk in heels. Most important, according to the Asari, was how to make her human hair look gorgeous and to put it up in a mass of tresses with just a few long pins. Also she began schooling Molly in "Galactic", the language that civilized beings used. It was the language that the others spoke to her in, and gradually she began learning to speak and read it.

A young Asari named Reena made her do exercises of various sorts. Stretching and fast exercises and a little strength building, although Molly still had muscles from farm labor. The Asari was quite pleasant and chatty, although she refused to answer any of Molly's questions about anything substantial. Like what the Gentleman looked like, for example. Molly was able to see that the tentacles growing out of her head just laid there in a sort of headdress and didn't actually do anything. Reena said the tentacles were made of cartilage and fat. They protected Asaris' heads from sun and cold, as hair did for humans.

The Doctor occasionally visited her, to check on her health. So that made only four aliens, or four people rather, that she saw for what must have been weeks.

Gradually Molly found her shape changing -- her waist was tightening in and her rear end attaining a perkiness it had never had before. She finally had an hourglass figure and legs that looked pretty. Her hair was changing in texture and lengthening past where it normally stopped growing. Her skin was clearing. The rough spots and calluses on her hands had completely gone, replaced by smooth skin. Her stubby nails grew out and after all the grooming they received, began to take on a lady-like appearance. When she looked in the mirror, she saw a beautiful version of herself. The folks on New Suffolk would have been amazed at her transformation.

The strange thing was, she was not allowed to shave or pluck. They gave her no razors or tweezers. Her armpits, pubic hair, and leg hair were growing out in a way that town men would have turned up their noses at. The Madame plucked a few hairs between Molly's eyebrows and made her studiously trimmed down her pubic hair to a fuzzy triangle, and that was it. Molly asked K. about it once and the Madame just laughed. "The Gentleman wants a natural human this time. You're a mammal, after all. Furry. Hairy humans are all the rage in porn vids."

The life didn't seem so bad, so far. She certainly had time to read. Vague notions of romantic liaisons swirled in her head. But a voice at the back of her head kept on nagging. The control chip, the locked door, the way she was smuggled in. She missed her family and wondered if they missed her.

When no one was with her, she would sleep, or read, or look at the window at the city beyond. The suite door was always locked and the ground was hundreds of feet below. She imagined herself as Rapunzel in the tower, and wondered if the Gentleman would climb up her hair and rescue her.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ugh, you are so inflexible, Molly! I've never met a human so stiff!" said Reena as she tried to push her into another pose.

"I've heard that warm water is good for stretching," Molly offered in a helpful tone from the floor where she was failing miserably.

"It's unorthodox but ... the Gentleman is coming sooner or later. Let's pour you a hot bath." They went into the bathroom. She ran the taps and they got out of their clothes. Molly looked shyly at the Asari, curious. The blue girl had no hair anywhere on her body, just pebbly-textured skin and the tentacles on her head.

The tub was spacious enough to accommodate both of them easily. They got into the hot water and Reena started working on stretching Molly's body.

"While we're working on this, I have another thing to teach you ..." Reena said. "How are you at kissing?"

Molly had fumbled with a few boys but had not been impressed. She had imagined kissing to being so wonderful and romantic, but had been left underwhelmed by the reality. "Probably not good," she said.

"Well let's get you up to speed," Reena sighed. She leaned in and planted a kiss on Molly's lips. Molly pressed back, not sure what to do. "Here, like this," the Asari said, taking Molly into her arms and giving her a passionate kiss. Their lips met, then their tongues, as Reena twisted her in the hot water. The Asari was skilled and Molly began to reevaulate her opinion of kissing.

After the water began to cool, Reena stepped out, water dripping from her naked blue body.

"Well, it's a start. We'll do some more tomorrow." She smiled a little wicked smile.

Molly lingered in the bath alone, and positioning her hips under the faucet, used the stream of water to wring out the unanswered tensions. Then she slept naked and half-covered until Dee Dee brought her dinner. The Salarian was never fazed by anything -- he just always went about his frenetic business as usual.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Molly had a dream that she was a princess in a tower, and a blue witch with snakes for hair was keeping her prisoner. Dragons flew around the tower and lightning and thunder rioted in the air. A man appeared, handsome, nicely dressed, beckoning to her. He looked human except for pointed ears. The Gentleman embraced her. They got into a flying chariot and rode off into the dawn.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The sessions continued with Reena, in and out of the tub. They would giggle, kiss, and fondle each other. Molly soon discovered that the Asari didn't have a clitoris. Reena laughed, saying "An Asari's whole vaginal canal is a series of erogenous zones, along with the vulva. I think it's better than just having that one little spot, far from the main attraction. And for us, childbirth is amazing, exquisitely pleasurable and painful at the same time." 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

After about a month, the Madame came in with an air of purpose. K. opened a comlink. All Molly saw was the ball of light projected in the madame's hand. "Good evening, Gentleman" the Asari said into the ball with a little smile.

"Good evening to you Madame, and I presume to Molly?" the strange-sounding male voice emanated from the sphere.

"I'm here," she said with K.'s prompting gesture.

"Good. Very good. How is my little creature doing?"

"We are working on her. By the time of your arrival she will be perfect."

"Yes, I have no doubt of that." And here his voice took on a sneering quality. "Your species is a primitive race. Count yourself lucky that this Asari has taken you under her wing."

"What are her appetites?" the voice continued.

"Oh you know, the usual, playing with Reena, and masturbating. This one likes water."

At this Molly shifted uncomfortably. "How does she know?" she thought. 

"I want you to stop that. I want her full of desire when I arrive." The conversation went on about payment.

"Why go to all this trouble if he thinks I'm some kind of stupid primitive?" she dared to ask after the glowing ball disappeared.

"Men -- people -- have strange attractions. You'll learn this in time."

K. stood. "I'm sorry to have to do this to you," she said. She produced two bracelets and snapped them over Molly's wrists. A short chain shimmered between them. "No playing with yourself or others until the Gentleman comes. You'll have plenty of time after."

"What does he look like?"

"You'll know that in good time, my dear. One word of advice -- Turians and humans don't eat the same food. Other than water, don't eat or drink anything meant for him. It would make you very ill, possibly kill you."

She was left to ponder what that meant. Later Molly realized, much to her dismay, that when she ran the bath, no water came out of the spigot. Reena no longer visited and the Madame told her to continue the exercising without her.


	5. Chapter 5

Molly was lying on her bed, feeling languid and bored. Suddenly there was a flurry of knocks on the door and the Madame barged in.

"Molly darling, I need you to get ready." She threw a garment at her. Behind her, Dee Dee rolled in a small table. It had two glasses, and an ice bucket holding two bottles.

"Get that on, drink some of this, and be ready!" K. said breathlessley. Dee Dee was already tugging her clothes off, a task made more difficult by the handcuffs. The Madame tied on the diaphanous dress, if you could call it that - it barely covered anything. 

Dee Dee poured a glass of wine and handed it to her. He pointed to the other, unopened bottle and said "Don't drink. Turian brandy." Then the Salarian left in the Madame's wake, the door closed, and there was the subtle click of the lock.   
Sipping the wine, she felt a growing warmth in her belly competing with butterflies.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Half asleep, hearing voices at the door. The higher one of K. and that other, strange male voice.

The lights went off in her suite and now only the city lights through the window provided any illumination. She heard the door open.

"Molly my dear, it's time," the Madame's voice called. "The Gentleman is here."

She saw the form of Dee Dee entering with a bag, placing it carefully on the floor, then retreating, in the space of a second.

A tall shadow entered the room and the door closed again. She saw his silhouette turning toward her and his shadow looked far from human. His chest and back were too big and his head was wrong. Gradually her eyes adjusted and the city lights from the windows partially illuminated him. A pace forward into another dim beam of light and she saw his bony face, predatory eyes staring down at her. A very strange hat - no, a crest like a bird's stretching out from the back of his head. She forgot what she was supposed to do and sat there on the bed with her hands clasped.

"Are you frightened?" he said. In person, the voice distortion was more noticeable. When he spoke, his mouth moved in strange ways. But he was speaking English, the first English she'd heard since she was taken from New Suffolk. He spoke the human tongue almost perfectly, although with an unfamiliar accent.

She said nothing and wrung her hands, looking down, a few wisps of hair falling into her face.

The Gentleman strode across the room in a few easy steps and sat down next to her on the bed. The weight of him made her sink toward him as the mattress shifted. "No words for your lover?" She felt as if she were in a nightmare again, where she was frozen and couldn't scream. 

His hand ... his hand with only two long fingers and a thumb ... grasped her face. His other hand went around her back and snaked into the hair piled up on her head.

"Molly ... you beautiful little animal" he breathed into her ear in English with that strangely resonant, dual voice, and his breath was hot and strange-smelling. With one hand he forced her face to look at him, while his other hand was deep in her hair. He brushed the stray tresses from her face and with one long finger, traced over one eyebrow, then the other, then her eyelashes, her nose, her cheeks, her ears, and lastly her lips.

In the dim light, she realized he had no lips. No ears. Not much of a nose. His crest was not made of feathers, they looked like bone or horn.

"Are you admiring my noble anatomy, little creature?" He stopped the finger on her lips.

"I ... " she stammered a bit and returned to silence, feeling paralyzed.

He took off gloves she didn't realize he had on. Nails, or rather talons, glimmered. One hand went to hers and held them. The hand was warm. The other hand was stroking the back of her neck, and she felt the slightest drag of the back of his claws.

She dared to look up from her lap into his face again. His eyes were like those of a bird of prey, burning with intensity at her.

"What do you see in my eyes?" he whispered, and there were sharp teeth in his mouth.

"The devil. Or an eagle about to snatch up a lamb --" and turned her head aside, thinking she'd said something rude.

"Little lamb! Do you think I'm going to eat you up?" he laughed jovially and took her into a tight embrace. She felt his voice resonate into her chest. He pressed his hard face into her lips in the mockery of a kiss.

"please don't hurt me" she uttered in a barely audible, strangled tone.

"Karlaya would never hear of it! Her prized new acquisition. I'd sooner step on a landmine than wound your pretty flesh. Oh, allow me." He removed a device from a pocket, pressed a button, and the chain disappeared from her cuffs. The cuffs fell from her wrists and he brushed them onto the floor.

He stood up and pulled off boots. He removed the top part of his suit, a cowl-like jacket, laying it carefully on the divan, and then some sort of undershirt. In the dim light she could see that his shoulders and chest looked bony, not nearly as large as the garment she took for a jacket. There was a circular ridge traveling from shoulder to shoulder along his back, then similarly along his chest. He then stepped carefully out of his pants. His legs were skinny and there was a long thin stalk emerging from each calf. His pelvis looked strange. All over his body, he seemed to have mostly hard plates instead of skin. He slid out of his undershorts and Molly looked away.

The Gentleman sat next to her on the bed. "What are you afraid of?" He took her nervous hand and slid it down past hard unfamiliar surfaces to his groin. She felt nothing like she was expecting.

He guided her hand lower and she felt ridges opening to a fleshy entrance. She fingers met no erection.

"Are you a woman?" she asked doubtfully.

"Do I sound like one?" he laughed and his mouth flashed open again, his sharp teeth reflecting sparks of the city lights.

"You just need to ..." he leaned down and touched her neck with the part of his face she would later know to call his mandible. " ... bring out the devil in me ..." and a hot, damp sensation was on her neck. He pulled the pins out of her hair and it tumbled down. He breathed into her hair and inhaled its scent.

One hand was crept around her waist, sliding up her back. He buried his face in her neck. "You smell wonderful, Molly." Again the back of his talons sliding down, then turning to scratch ever so slightly up and she arched her back in response.

"Touch me," he said.

Her trembling hand went to his face where he clasped it against his mandible. "Here," he put her fingers underneath. Her other hand traveled up to his neck and stroked it. The Gentleman made a sound deep in his chest that resonated into her.  
Her fingers moved over his body, feeling the hard plates on his body. When her fingertips wandered in to the leathery cracks between, he rumbled again. Meanwhile he was licking and nuzzling her neck. His alien hands were moving around her body - her arms, back, hips, thighs. He stroked the hair in her armpits and touched the hair on her legs.

She gasped when his hands slid over her breasts with just the thin fabric of covering them. He responded with a low growl, and ripped the sheer material in half. Then his tongue was coiling around her breast. She threw back her head and moaned. One of his alien fingers found its way back to her mouth and she felt the rough pad on the tip resting on her lips. His finger went into her mouth and she sucked it, the talon scratching her tongue ever so slightly. The wine was burning in her stomach.

Suddenly his hard face was pressed against hers and his strange-tasting tongue was in her mouth. It choked and gagged her. She tried to pull away but he was too strong.

He withdrew his tongue, and she saw his skull-like visage in the light, mouth open wide, far too wide. She saw the extent of his tongue unfurling, protruding past the mouthful of sharp teeth. The urge to vomit came over her.

"Oh, I know that face. Go heave. Wash your face and mouth and come back." He pushed her off the bed in the direction of the bedroom. At the sink, wine came up with half of dinner. She was afraid to look at her face in the mirror. 

When she came back, he was lying on the bed, his head propped up on the pillows, looking bored.

"I told that stupid woman not to give you wine. Come here," he said, pulling her on top of him. He rolled them over and was on top of her. He wasn't as heavy as she thought he'd be, but she was still pinned. She couldn't move at all. Molly had been fairly strong from farming chores and she could wrestle with some of the boys -- but his strength was overpowering.

He pushed his legs between hers, and pulled her arms around him, putting one of her hands under the base of his crest, the other on the side of his neck. Her fingers moved and he rumbled low in his chest.

"What a sweet little thing you are," and his fearsome tongue licked around her neck. Despite herself, the hot, wet strokes were eliciting quiet gasps and movement from her body.

She felt one his large, long fingers probing at her sex. Stroking the hair there, then tracing the outer lips, then dipping into the inner folds.

"You're wet. I think you like this," and he tasted her collarbone while his finger began working its way into her vagina. At that she tried to wriggle away, thinking of those sharp claws, but her hips were trapped. Her body was betraying her, as her pussy clenched around his probing digit.

"So tight. Mmm." His finger was working its way in, bringing moisture out to her clitoris and labia, then dipping in further. "I don't think I can resist any longer," he intoned.

He stood up and dragged her to the edge of the bed. In the wan light she could make something out ... his cock. Where did it come from? Before she could say anything he was licking her pussy, making her hips buck and moan. His tongue was forcing its way into her vagina, but it was so long he could press the base against her clit and still have a great length left to fuck her with. His hands were on her breasts, large thumbs toying with her nipples. Her pelvis rocked up as much as he'd let it, bucking up into his hard face.

It didn't take long for her to climax, an explosive one that left her legs shaking and her vaginal muscles twitching. His face came back into view, the tongue returning back into his mouth.

He stood over her, with his erection plainly visible. It looked a bit - large. "Are you afraid?" he said, looming, climbing next to her on the bed.

She said nothing and waited.

"Touch me. Look at me." he said, and put her hand on his shaft. It was thick, long, ridged, and somehow already wet. Hard to tell in the almost-dark but it seemed to be purplish-blue. She ran her fingers up and down. At the base, she could see that his cock and protruded from a fleshy sheath, surrounded by ridges.

"I love seeing your tiny fingers on me ..." he murmured and his tongue was out again.

"I want to fill you up," he said, and getting on top of her he pushed his tongue into her mouth and his cock into her pussy. The smell and taste of her pussy filled her mouth and nose.

Molly tried not to gag again. Unable to move her head back, she tried swallowing instead. He was pushing into her with his cock and it hurt and felt good at the same time. He was rumbling again, then withdrew his tongue, pulled his head back and roared. 

His thrusting became animalistic. His plates were rubbing against her, against her nipples, on the inside of her thighs.  
He withdrew and turned her over, forcing her onto her hands and knees. His cock drove into her tightness with no mercy. He began licking her back and she arched. His hand roughly grabbed one tit while the length of that arm rubbed against the other nipple. He was roaring again. A ridge at the base of his shaft was rubbing repeatedly into her clit. She felt his teeth in her shoulder, then a flood of wetness in her pussy, and his cock was throbbing incredibly. It made her orgasm around him and he bit her again.

"Oh Molly ..." he collapsed half on top of her and wouldn't let her leave to clean herself up. Or to look at her shoulder -- she wasn't sure how hard he had bitten her.


	6. Chapter 6

In the early morning she awoke, their limbs entangled, the sheets half on them. Sunlight was coming in through the window, allowing her to see him in great detail. His face, the extent of his crest, the textures of his body, the sheath where his penis had retracted. His face was not as skull-like as she had first perceived. He clearly had ear holes, like a bird's. His body was warm. The color of his body was a dull bronze, except for white markings on his face.

She could smell his scent, too; a faint metallic tang. The previous evening she thought she had tasted metal, but she thought it was from stress. Turians evidently had a metal component in their bodies.

Her vagina felt sore and so did the insides of her thighs. She felt uncomfortably hot. She tried to shift position. His eyes opened and his hands tightly gripped her arms.

"Admiring my anatomy again, I see." He gazed at her with his intense eagle eyes, orange-yellow. "Look at those eyes of yours. How pretty, all the flecks of different color. And the true color of your hair. Not entirely black, there's brown and a little copper in it."

Molly felt rather sticky and unclean. "I'd like to take a shower now."

"Why, do you feel dirty after being loved by a Turian?"

"No, but I just wanted to wash ..."

He uttered a mock sigh. "Here, let me wash you, you silly little human," and walked into the shower, beckoning her to come to him. She saw that his feet had only two digits each. He walked high on his large, clawed toes.

He ran the water hot. Taking the soap he lathered it all over her body. "Look at these big hips. What a cow!" he snorted. "It's a good thing you were taken away from your people. Too many humans in the galaxy already. How many offspring would you have had? Ten? Twenty?"

"If you think I'm a cow, why are you ... spending time with me?"

"Oh Molly, did I hurt your feelings? You are just a little human, a half-evolved mammal. But you are rather pretty, for all that."

He put the soap in her hand. "Now wash me."

As she awkwardly tried to put soap on his alien body, she found him emerging from the sheath again.

"Here comes the devil again." He forced her to stand on the ledge, pressed her up against the shower wall, and took her from behind.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Later they dried off and went back to the bed. Dee Dee had left a separate meal for each of them. The Gentleman encouraged her to eat and allowed her to get a book, but insisted she remain naked. She curled into a ball under the sheets next to him and read "Great Expectations" while he used a datapad. She had only seem datapads a few times before at New Suffolk. He wouldn't let her touch it or even get a good look at it.

He paused and looked at the book. "Literature of your people? What is it about?"

"A poor young man inherits money twice, falls in love, and then loses everything and goes back to being poor."

"Your story will be better." He trailed claws down her back and she shuddered involuntarily.

"How are your legs?" he said, a hand moving down to her inner thigh.

"Sensitive . . ."

"Chafing. It is part of Turian-human love. You know, I think humans were made by the Spirits for our pleasure."

"What do female Turians say about that?"

"Nothing worth listening to. Prudish harpies. What do they know of soft skin and welcoming mouths?" he said contemptuously.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Gentleman quickly discovered that Molly was incredibly sensitive all over her body. He could play her like a musical instrument by alternating the kind of touch and where he applied it. He could elicit soft moans by lightly dragging his claws down the length of her back. She relaxed when he stroked her arms and legs. And he could put her to sleep with soft caresses. When he worked her skin, she felt as if she were trapped in a bubble of sensuousness.

He made her perform fellatio on him and taught her what to do with his cock. At first he was kind, praising her, and she started to enjoy the act. She grew accustomed to the slightly metallic taste of the fluid emerging from the tip. But when they made a second trip to the shower, the predatory look came over his eyes. "Down," he said, forcing her to her knees on the tiled floor, in front of his alien feet. The water streamed down her face as he grabbed her by the hair. The purple-blue cock went into her mouth. Her mind went down, submerged, somewhere dark.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

For several days the Gentleman stayed with her. He was alternately kind and cruel, unpredictable in his moods. She felt crushed under his will, a puppet at his command. She lost track of time and herself. Dee Dee brought meals in, sometimes while they were in the middle of sex, and the Gentleman took no notice, and neither did the Salarian.

During sex and between it he often told her about Turians, about their history and homeworld of Palaven, the Unification Wars, the meaning of his facial markings. The war between Turians and humans, called the Relay 314 Incident. He explained why they needed separate food. He spoke of Mass Relays and the Citadel. He gave her the names of Turian clothing, food, customs. He seemed to revel in teaching her untutored mind. When she tried to initiate conversations on her own, it just elicited scorn; she learned to hold her tongue and merely follow what he said.

He switched between English and Galactic, sometimes in the same sentence. Molly asked about his knowledge of English speech and he leered at her, showing his teeth. "I've had a lot of practice."

When he had finally taken his leave, she was alone for a brief time before the Madame and the Doctor came in. The Madame congratulated her on pleasing the Gentleman and finishing her confinement. She looked at Molly and the room briefly, then exited. Doctor Jetumseh stayed behind.

"Are you all right?" he said. "I brought a special lotion. For the chafing." He peered at her with concern. "Do you need medical attention? Stitches? Did he mark you?"

Molly didn't know what that last question meant. "Marking?"

The Salarian lifed up her robe at the neck, examining her. "Turians sometimes bite each other when they wish to mark a permanent romantic partnership. It wouldn't do for other customers to see you 'marked'." Putting the robe back into place, he added, "Those will heal on their own. Let me know if he or any other Turian breaks the skin. I'll give you medigel that will keep it from scarring."

As the Doctor spoke in his rapid patter, she felt her heart lifting up as if she were coming up from the ground, emerging from a tomb. "I think I'll be okay."

"Read your books," he advised. "And if you need anything, you'll be able to come to my office now."

When he left, there was no subtle click of the lock. She went to try the door. The knob turned. She was afraid to open the door and see what lay beyond.

Looking in a mirror, Molly saw that her shoulders had bruised marks where he had bitten her -- but hadn't broken the skin -- and her inner thighs had a reddish hue and felt sore. Her pussy hurt when she moved in certain ways or sat down without being careful. It occurred to her that the Gentleman was not a gentleman. Not the prince she'd been dreaming of. More like an ogre.


	7. Chapter 7

Molly didn't dare step outside her room until very late at night. She wanted to escape, get out. Surely this was illegal. Somebody would help her. 

It sounded mostly quiet in the hallway outside her room, except for the occasional laugh or moan. She was tip-toeing around in the dimly lit halls, trying not to trip on anything. She passed through an expansive room full of furniture and into a smaller one. There was one of those large metal doors - maybe the way out.

Something large that was propped up against the wall suddenly moved in the shadows. It had a very large humanoid shape, certainly not any of the aliens she'd seen so far. It tapped the back of its neck and gestured at her. "Go back to bed," a low voice muttered. She turned and fled, stumbling in the half-dark until she found her suite again. It was the only one with a human door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day, the Madame came to call.

"I'll give you one more day to rest. The Gentleman will come back from time to time, but in between his visits you'll be seeng other clients, just like the other girls."

"Oh and I forgot, if you try to leave the Conthoral, the control chip in your spine will activate all the pain sensors in your body. Well, that's through the front door. The only other way out is through a window and half a kilometer down on hard pavement. No running away." She left Molly with a cruel smile.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On the next day, around late morning, the Madame brought her out to the Parlor. It was the room where the girls socialized and were chosen by clients. It had expensive couches and chairs, rugs, beautiful carvings and paintings on the wall. The art mostly depicted Asari women in various tasteful but erotic poses.

The "girls" were primarily young Asaris, Reena among them. There were at least a dozen; it was hard to count because they were coming and going from the room. But there were also two male Turians and three Krogan females. The Turians frightened her at first and she tried to avoid their curious stares.

The Krogans were massive reptilian bipeds, oddly reminiscent of fat iguanas, but with short tails, and huge humps. They wore heavy armor. Molly would not have known the Krogans to be women just by looking at them. Their names were Kerr, Vesha and Omani. The Krogans served mostly as bouncers, although they entertained occasional clients. She realized one of them must have been guarding the front door to the House when she tried to escape. Whichever one had been at the door, none of them mentioned it.

In the background, Dee Dee was busying about, pouring drinks, straightening the room, straightening the girls' outfits. The Doctor walked past the room and seeing Molly there, made a friendly gesture to her.

Reena gave her a warm welcome. The Krogans looked at her with a mix of boredom and pity. The other Asari seemed to vary in their reaction to her. There was one especially beautiful blue woman with large breasts and long head tentacles, named Analaya. There was a very large, plump woman named Teelin and a very thin, turquoise-skinned girl named Lanaki. Analaya was gracious to Molly; Teelin was friendly; but Lanaki seemed to regard her with icy contempt.

Reena sat down with Molly and one of the Turians sat on the other side of her. They started telling her the rules of the House, arguing on some of the finer points. The other Turian soon joined the conversation.

At first she was a little frightened of them but gradually warmed up to their friendliness. They didn't look at her with the hard eagle-eyes of the Gentleman. Their crests were smaller, which she thought was perhaps some indication of age. They certainly seemed younger. They looked different in color, too: Where the Gentleman was a dull bronze, Henny was bright copper. Trak was a soft grey color; his eyes were unusually large and blue for a Turian. 

The Turians commented on her clothes, offered to do her hair, give her pedicures. Soon they had her relaxed and laughing. "Typical gay boys," Lanaki sneered in their direction.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reena wanted to give her the grand tour of the establishment. She explained that House Conthoral took up one whole floor of a luxury tower, and then proceeded to reel off unfamiliar names. Molly gave her a blank look and Reena said "Oh, I forgot. You don't know anything about anything. This building is in a fashionable neighborhood of Nos Astra, the capital of Illium. Illium is an Asari planet, although many other species come here to do business and vacation. Nos Astra is very cosmopolitan."

They walked around the Conthoral. Reena showed her many different rooms. An exercise room. A large salt-water pool where they could swim for health and pleasure, and occasionally serve clients. The kitchen where an Asari chef and her assistant cooked all their meals. A fitting room where an Asari tailor visited regularly to attend to clothing. The Madame's office, Dr. Jetumseh's office, and some very exotic-looking rooms that were not anybody's living quarters per se, but specially booked by clients.

Back in the Parlor, the Turians beckoned to her. "Hey Molly, what happened to Charlie?" asked Henny.

"Who?"

"Charlie. Charlotte, the girl before you."

"What girl before me?"

Trak said, "She doesn't know anything. And I got the impression we're not supposed to talk about it either."

Henny whispered, "There was a human girl before you, taller, skinny, with orange hair. The Gentleman took her away. And there were other humans before her, but that was before we came here."

A bell rang. The girls quickly arranged themselves in the Parlor. All the girls except the Krogans -- Vesha was off sleeping, Kerr was on duty in the foyer, and Omani leaned against a wall, looking bored.

Molly sat down on a couch and waited. K. entered with a man -- a human man, the first one she'd seen in at least a month. Middle-aged, well-groomed, expensive suit. He didn't even glance at her as he looked over the Asari girls as if he were browsing merchandise. He chose Analaya and they disappeared down the hall.

Molly lounged and drank a bit of wine, half-listening to the gossip and chatter of the other girls. She wished she had brought a book with her. She started to doze off when the bell tone sounded again. There was a tap on her shoulder. It was Henny, sneaking back from spying into the foyer.

"Another client coming in. Look sharp, this is a Turian. Probably straight."

She only had time to sit up and try to look pretty when the Turian entered. Without K.'s prompting he looked straight at her and gestured. The Madame hissed sharply, "Don't keep him waiting, take him to your rooms!"

Molly scrambled off the couch and shyly took the Turian's hand. She had seen in an instant that he was more like Henny and Trak than the Gentleman. Less menacing. Younger. And he looked embarrassed.


	8. Chapter 8

Molly led the Turian into her rooms and closed the door. She asked what his name was.

"Just call me 'Felix'" he said, standing awkwardly and looking very unsure of himself.

"Have you been with a human before?" she said, his shyness making her feeling a littler bolder.

"No. I came here thinking I would get an Asari but ... " he paused and swallowed hard. "I've never been with an alien before," he shifted his feet a bit and examined the carpet.

"Sit down here and let me show you," she said as she let down her hair. She noted with some satisfaction that his mouth was gaping. "Would you like to touch my hair?" They sat on the edge of the bed together and he put his fingers lightly on the ends of her tresses. "Here, brush it", and she put her big hair brush in his hands and showed him how to use it. The brush handle was made for Turian hands so they could handle the tool well.

"Well that's one item checked on my list of 'things to do before I die'," he murmured.

After a few minutes she took the brush from him and put it aside. "Touch my arms like this", and made him stroke her forearms. "Do you like them?" He was clearly fascinated by the hairs on her arm and the freckles. He then moved to her hands, studying the small manifold fingers and little nails. "Such tiny fingers," he said, nuzzling one palm.

"And what about these?" She coyly lifted her skirt to her knees and kicked off her shoes.

Suddenly the Turian was on his knees, worshipping her legs and feet. He nuzzled her calves, her ankles, her toes. Then he hugged her at the knees. His shoulders convulsed and started shaking. A dry rattle came from his throat. He seemed to be weeping, without tears.

"Why are you crying?" she said, hugging him as much as she could with his suparum, the big jacket, still on.

His back stopped shaking. "I was in love with a human woman once, but she wouldn't even look at me as a man. I never touched her like this. She's gone now."

"I'm here now," she said, getting down on the floor with him. 

He turned his head away from her, ashamed. She took the opportunity to touch his crest, caressing the long horn-like shapes. As with Henny and Trak, his crest was smaller than the Gentleman's. His color was light brown and his eyes were blue, although not as big and bright as Trak's.

Soothed, Felix turned to her and gently laid his forehead on hers, then nuzzled her neck. She held him until they both fell asleep, half-propped against the bed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hours later, she woke in the darkness, feeling a bit cramped. Felix was making a rhythmic noise she took for snoring.

"Felix, wake up" she whispered in his ear. He muttered and shifted a bit. Her legs were feeling uncomfortable. But more to the point, wasn't she supposed to show the Turian a good time? She didn't want to anger the Madame.

"Felix," she said, and he finally woke as she tried to disentangle herself. "Let's get up on the bed."

"Ouch ... why are we on the floor ... with our clothes on?" he said, trying to steady himself on his feet.

"I don't know, you seemed to want some ... affection. But this is the Conthoral and I know it's very expensive. Don't you want more than this?"

Felix pulled off his supararum and disappeared under the covers. "Just lie with me," he said. She stripped down to her underwear and joined him. Heat radiated off his body.

"Why are Turians so hot?" she said, laughing as she realized she'd made a joke. He touched his forehead to hers, then she nestled down into his chest.

He just laughed, buried his face in her hair, and went back to sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the morning she woke and felt his warm hands roaming over her body. She stretched out and put her hands on his neck and waist, touching him in the places that were sensitive. The Gentleman had taught her thoroughly on that point.

"You are so beautiful, so soft. Smell so good."

Laughing, she sat up and looked at the position of the sun. Still early.

"Don't you want to --?"

"Holding you all night and all morning is worth my life's savings," he murmured.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After Felix left, she went reluctantly to the Madame's office to confess her failure. But K. wasn't angry at the turn of events, or lack thereof. "Men want different things. And sometimes affection is harder to get than emotionless sex. I'm glad you made him happy. He paid a pretty penny just for your company." The Asari looked her up and down. "And it's less wear and tear on you, my dear."


	9. Chapter 9

In the days that followed a repeating pattern developed. Rich human men came in to the Parlor and if they even looked at her, they flung her a derisive glance and moved on. The occasional male Krogan wandered in and was not allowed to have her, even if he wanted to -- he got one of the Krogan girls or Teelin. Turians came in numbers equal to humans and a few chose her immediately without looking at anyone else.

The girls sometimes had to take multiple clients a day, even two or three at a time; but Molly only ever had one a day, and they often stayed until they were kicked out in late morning.

These Turians were none of them like the Gentleman, and very few like Felix. They wanted sex with a human, a voluptuous and "natural" woman. They died for her hair -- every time, when the big pile of hair came tumbling down, they melted in awe. They wanted to drown in her cool, smooth, soft flesh covered in fine hairs. They wanted to squeeze and caress every curvy part on her body. Most of them wanted to smell and touch her thick black thatch of pubic hair and taste what was underneath. They wanted to see and feel her manifold little fingers roaming over their bodies. They watched her perform fellatio on their cocks. They pulled her mane while they took her from behind. They wanted to sleep with her and wake up in the morning light, where they could see the true colors of her eyes and hair. Then they wanted more, until it was time for them to leave.

There was no cruelty involved -- at least, no more than could be expected from hard-bodied, sharp-edged men having their way with a soft woman. They all restrained themselves from abusing or marking her, perhaps fearing the wrath of the Krogan guards.

Soon she was seeing the same customers and their friends and business associates. And they had to book ahead to get any chance of having her. The unlucky ones would sometimes give up and take one of the Asari or the Turian boys. Madame K. said the "word of mandible" was doing wonders for the establishment.

The repeat customers often brought her gifts like expensive jewelry, paper books, fine chocolates. Madame K. took the jewelry "as payment for my investment" she said, only temporarily lending it back if the gifting customer returned. Molly shared the chocolates with everyone, but kept the books for herself.

The skin on the insides of her thighs was becoming rough and thick. She was supposed to exfoliate the area, but the acid lotion hurt after application. Her thighs would also hurt with the next customer. So she let the skin toughen, and hoped nobody was the wiser.


	10. Chapter 10

Molly soon discovered that the other girls were free to leave the House, at least once in a while. They didn't need control chips. It was rumored that the previous human girls had tried to escape, or clients had tried to smuggle them out. The other girls were there voluntarily, and actually received salaries. 

The Asari thought it was fun, and a more glamorous calling than exotic dancing. Some of them hoped to land a rich spouse. What better way to meet a lot of wealthy people? And one could test their sexual skills before commiting to a relationship. Sex work by young Asaris wasn't frowned on much in their society; it was considered a normal part of their youth.

The Krogan women lacked better opportunities on Ilium and didn't want to return to their homeworld, Tuchanka. There was nothing worth going back to, Kerr had said on an occasion when she was unusually talkative from drinking Krogan liquor. What waited for them on Tuchanka were inter-tribal wars, male oppression, and the sadness of the other childless women.

Henny and Trak didn't feel that they had appreciable skills other than those in the sexual arena, and their own good looks -- apparently others of their species considered them to be very handsome. They had long ago severed ties with their families and had no one to support them. The Turians thought it was better to profit from their bodies in a high-class establishment than try to freelance where the chance of serious violence was much higher. 

Molly inquired a little further. It seemed that Turian polite society was not opposed to homosexual relationships, but prostitution was considered a highly dishonorable occupation. Her Turian friends had been basically disinherited from their families. Reena commented that it was a pity Turians were so uptight. Kerr threw in with a sardonic growl, "Funny how you see all these Turian men coming in to whore it up, but pretend it's a scandal when they go home to their families."

Before he came to Ilium, Trak had managed to escape an infamously seedy colony-city called "Omega." His mandibles twitched whenever the name came up in conversation.

One piece of advice her Turian friends kept on repeating in various ways, was not to get attached. They were skeptical of the Asari's chances of being bought out by a lover, and absolutely certain it could not happen to the other girls. So it was best to keep emotional distance. 

And even among the girls, there was enough turnover and jealousy issues that it was unwise to fall in love with one of them either. "You'd just break your heart," said Henny, his hand over his chest. "So don't give your love to anybody. It would be like trying to water sand in a desert and expecting a flower to grow."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Molly made another discovery: as much as she had fooled around with Reena, there was one thing held back from her. The Asari could "join" with their partner during mating, an incredibly pleasurable sharing of minds and nervous systems. The Madame had forbidden the Asari girls from joining with Molly. Reena said that it was pretty obvious when joining was happening; the Asari's eyes would turn completely black, and blue biotic energy would cover her body and spread to her partner. With the Madame's eyes everywhere, it would be hard to break the no-joining-with-Molly rule and do it unnoticed.

She also discovered that the Asari had no men. Reena couldn't believe Molly didn't know that, it was such a basic fact of life. The blue aliens had only one sex and reproduced via joining, with the voluntary will to conceive. They used to reproduce with themselves but in this interstellar age, it was considered taboo to have "pure blood" children. Asari were supposed to take partners of other races -- male or female, it didn't matter -- when they decided to have a baby. Something about mixing the DNA. Reena thought it was pretty funny and animalistic that other species, like humans, required male-female intercourse, and there was no conscious choice involved when it came to fertilization.

The clients could ask for joining as part of their services, but it cost more and some found it was invasive. As to why Molly was not allowed joining, Reena said it had something to do with the Gentleman. Molly wondered if this was to keep her from knowing too much. Or to keep the Asari girls from knowing what the Gentleman did behind the closed door of her suite.


	11. Chapter 11

Molly eventually discovered that she was, in fact, to have a Krogan customer. The Battlemaster Mormax came specially to visit her, on the heaviest day of her menstrual cycle. The Krogan girls called him "old man." He had a huge hump and his armor was extravagant in its design.

In her suite, he began stripping off his armor, then his undergarments. "Come on, don't you know what you're supposed to do?"

"No ..." Molly started to feel some trepidation as she saw how large his penis was, even when semi-flaccid. "Did you know that I have my period?"

"Your what?"

"I'm menstruating, I mean, I'm bleeding."

"That's the exact reason I'm here," he said enthusiastically, pulling her into the bathroom while clumsily trying to take off her dress. "Come on in and let's get messy. Take out that thing."

Molly took off her clothes and hesitated, then pulled out the soaked tampon and flushed it down the toilet. He was already naked and lying down in the bathtub. He pulled her to a position where she squatted over him and let her menstrual blood drip on him. He lapped at it with his fat tongue, rubbed it on his body with his fat hands, and masturbated with it. He said dirty things while this was going on and encouraged her to respond.

Then Mormax pulled her down on top of him. He took his enormous cock and put it between her thighs, thrusting until he came, which added a lot more body fluids to the situation. The whole thing was very messy and disgusting, but then it struck her as ridiculous. She gave up all pretensions and started laughing. He laughed too.

Then they washed off and went to the bedroom, still dripping wet. Mormax threw all the sheets and the pillows on the floor and they tangled themselves in the mess. His scent, a pleasant musky sage, surrounded her. And while she caressed his broad face, he told her stories until he fell asleep. Stories about battles, near escapes from thesher maws, sexual escapades, rivalries with other Krogans. She laughed or expressed amazement at the right intervals and he was so pleased. It was -- nice.

When he said his goodbyes, he put a fat hand on her cheek and regarded her with a tender smile. Afterward, her ribs and stomach were sore from laughing and her face hurt from smiling so much. Those were pains she could deal with.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mormax visited her every month on the heaviest day of her menstrual cycle and at no other time. It was always the same - the hilarious down-dirty messiness in the bathtub, and then lying on the floor, listening to his stories. The Krogan was always careful with her and never hurt her, despite his bulk and immense strength.

Molly never told the other girls, not even the Krogan women, that he didn't really fuck her. That was her secret with Mormax. Despite their fierce reputation, she was getting the idea that a lot of Krogans were really softies on the inside.

Meanwhile the girls wondered how she maintained a reputation for a tight pussy while getting fucked by a Battlemaster on a regular basis.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In between the more frequent Turian and human visitors, and occasional Krogans, there were others. The little butterball Volus came in, in parties of four or five, to watch Asari girls play with themselves or each other. They couldn't leave their high pressure suits, but they could enjoy the show. A few high-ranking, older Asari would come to have dalliances with the younger Asari girls. Once there was a ruckus at the great door in the foyer, and Molly heard later that a drunken Batarian had tried to gain entrance. The Krogans gave him a beating and kicked him out - space trash wasn't allowed in the Conthoral.

Very rarely, an Elcor stumped in. Elcor were huge, heavy, four-legged creatures from high-gravity worlds. The Krogans argued over who had to serve the client. Apparently the phallus of an Elcor was not a pleasant experience, even for the big lizard women. Dr. Jetumseh had to stitch them up afterward so they'd heal faster.

And once, a Hanar came and paid Molly a visit. She had heard from Reena that they were giant pink jellyfish, who had to use anti-gravity devices and breathers to interact with other species when not in their preferred ocean habitat. They were known for being excessively polite. Outside of porn vids, they rarely had any interest in taking pleasures with humanoids.

This merchant Hanar had heard from his Turian associates about the wonder that was Molly and wanted to experience her for himself. Madame K. arrranged for the jellyfish to use the saltwater pool. Molly went into the water naked and confused. She didn't know what to do, so she did nothing. The Hanar apologized for himself in the third person while poking at her with his tentacles. Afterward, he preached at her religiously about the Enkindlers, who were evidently gods of his people.

Later, the Madame just shrugged and said "You can't win them all. He paid, and that's what counts."

Dr. Jetumseh gave Molly a thorough inspection, just to make sure that the Hanar hadn't done anything dodgy, like try to implant her with fertilized eggs. Molly thought the whole thing hadn't gone that far, and it turned out she was right.


	12. Chapter 12

Reena and Molly occasionally still fooled around. After the hard-plated Turians, it was nice to embrace somebody a little closer to home. It was good to kiss somebody with actual lips and hold somebody who was soft.

Reena had a nice ass too, and that was something Turians were highly lacking in -- they just had flat bony pelvises, front and back. Not something you could really grab hold of and squeeze. The farm boys of New Suffolk had gorgeous butts that Molly could stare at for days. She would take Reena's as a substitute.

On one of these little visits, as they rolled around the bed and giggled, Molly remembered to ask about Charlie.

Reena kissed her, then dragged her into the closet. "The Madame has cameras. You know, spying devices. She can see and hear what's going on in most of the rooms." she whispered. "You never know when she's watching, or if she'll review the vids later." 

"So what do you know about Charlie?"

"She had orange hair and she had a lot more ... fire to her. The Gentleman really broke her spirit. You have less to break, poor thing, like a reed that bends in the wind," Reena said softly. "Lanaki was in love with her. It just destroyed her when the Gentleman took Charlie away."

"Where did he take her?"

"I don't know. No one knows."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Molly began looking for the cameras in her suite. With her friends' help, she figured out how to stay out of their view. Not just in the closet, but certain corners in the other two spaces, low to the ground. Her friends also pointed out the known cameras in the common rooms and hallways.

After the revelation about the cameras, Molly had an idea about Dee Dee. The next time he came in to clean, he was shaking, clearly exhausted. "Let me help you for once," Molly whispered.

Dee Dee tried to ignore her but Molly pulled him into one of the blind corners. "Here," she said quietly, placing a cushion on the floor and another one for him to lean on. "Eat something if it's OK for you."

Molly wouldn't let Dee Dee go until he relaxed in the corner, face buried in hands. He took a little chocolate from a box the last client had given her.

"I will try to keep my area so clean, you won't need to do anything when you come here except rest."

Molly was true to her word. She kept everything very neat. Dee Dee could rest for 5 or 10 minutes when he visited her, if she was alone or with a particularly nice client. It seemed to help with his exhaustion and stress.

She set it up with Mormax that part of her "service" was to clean up afterward, him yelling enthusiastically at her and pretending it turned him on. Molly would sometimes have to go to a camera-blind corner and silently laugh her guts out. He'd berate her even more, which just made her laugh harder until the tears rolled down her face. Her friends later asked her if she was OK, having heard the Battlemaster's bellowing, and she just waved them off. "Role-playing," she said, and they nodded and changed the subject.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At one of her visits to Dr. Jetumseh's office, she said quietly, "How does she control you? You said you didn't have a chip. Do you get a high salary from the Madame?"

The Salarian laughed bitterly. "No, money is not the issue." He said more quietly into her ear as he pretended to examine her, "Dee Dee told me you've been helping him. I think we can trust you. The Madame knows something about my family. To keep it from being aired publicly, Dee Dee and I must serve her."

He moved back to some instruments, then returned. "Looking good so far," he said loudly. Quietly again, he continued, "This is a secret you must not share with anyone, although I doubt you would have the opportunity to do so. My family's genetics are not perfect. You may have noticed that Dee Dee is somewhat ... mentally impaired, and there are a few more in the family with similar conditions. We have successfully concealed this so far, but it would be extremely damaging to our family if it were widely known. Among Salarians, genetics is one of the most important factors in a family's fortunes."

"How did K. find out?" she whispered back.

"Through one of her girls' clients. More than a century ago. She has demanded that our family submit a doctor and a servant to work for her for free since then, in exchange for not revealing our secret. Dee Dee and I are not the first to serve her."

"Wait, how old are you? How old is the Madame?"

"Molly, Asari can live to be one thousand years or more. She is a Matriarch. That means she is probably well over seven hundred years of age. Salarians only live to about forty years."

Molly looked at him in shock. "Really? How old are you?"

"I'm middle-aged by the standards of my people. Don't pity us. We live fast. We require much less sleep than other intelligent species. We are awake while you sleep your lives away." He handed her a robe. "By the way, Mormax is even older than the Madame. And Kerr won't disclose her birth date, but I'm pretty sure she's at least four hundred years old."

The conversation over, shooed her out. Molly reflected that perhaps this explained why the Salarians talked and moved so quickly, while the Krogans lumbered and the Asari seemed to have all the time in the world.


	13. Chapter 13

The Gentleman came to see her again. He chided her about her toughened inner thighs. "You little slut. You love having Turians fuck you, don't you?"

"I was only waiting for you," she stammered out a lie.

"Let me show you what a real man can do," and he fucked her hard and rough, biting her shoulders and even nipping her breasts a few times, but never breaking the skin.

After that he was subdued. He gave her an old book, that he said was very expensive: a second edition of "David Copperfield." He wanted her to read it while they stayed in the bed together, naked, and he worked on his datapad. She had always had poor bodily temperature control - cold outside of bed, but often too warm after being in bed for a few hours. Turians seemed to like her warmth radiating back into their heat under the sheets.

He sometimes kissed her in a way that none of the other Turians did: he puckered his face parts forward and planted them on her lips. That and the mix of English and Galactic really had her confused. If he hated humans so much, why pick up some of the language? Why try to kiss as if he had real lips? He never touched foreheads like Felix and a few other sentimental Turians had done.

The Gentleman took her again, this time in a slow, tender fashion. He twisted his hips so his cock moved around, stirring in her pussy, hitting the side walls, while he held her close, but not so close that his plates dug into her skin. He watched her face intently. He took her body in different positions, all of them pleasurable. She came, and came a second time, and a third.

Then his mood changed again. He forced her to pull a revealing dress and high heels from her closet. He walked her into the Parlor on his arm, wearing the tacky dress and painful stilletos. The Asari girls made some naughty comments and Henny clicked a disapproving sound. Kerr was in the Parlor at the time; she shook her head and retreated to the foyer. The Madame said nothing. The Gentleman made Molly stand in the Parlor for an hour at least, as other clients came in. When they tried to select her from the line-up, he would stake his claim and the disappointed male would end up with an Asari.

Finally he tired of this game. He picked her up and swept her back into the suite, throwing her on the bed. He pulled off her shoes and flung them across the room. He knelt down and licked her feet.

"I don't understand," she said.

"What's to understand, you stupid little cunt?" he sneered, in English. "You weren't made to understand," he said, in between wrapping his tongue around each one of her toes.

"Why are you cruel to me sometimes and then nice to me? Why pay so much money when you hate me?" she started crying.

"Oh, the leaky eyes routine. I know that one. Don't think you can play me." he said. He massaged her feet a little too firmly. 

"Madame K. is just a temporary keeper for you. I own you, mind and body. You're my toy. My slave. My pet."

He stood up and loomed over her, putting one foot on the bed next to her hip.

"Some day I'll take you home with me, and you'll be mine forever."

Molly didn't care for the look in his eyes, which had gone beyond predatory. She went down into the darkness again. Underground. Dead. She didn't come back to life until the Gentleman had gone and Dr. Jetumseh was talking to her. But she felt as if the Turian had eaten a piece of her soul.


	14. Chapter 14

One day, Molly was resting in the Parlor, waiting for the next customer. She was reading _Persuasion_. Madame K. came in all a fluster. "Girls, girls, look what I have." Following in her wake was a ... green man, with great dark eyes. Definitely more human-looking than a Turian in shape, but he appeared to have scales instead of skin. One of the Asari girls poked her in the ribs. "You've never seen a Drell before?"

"This is Baelyon, lately arrived from Kahje. I want you all to take very good care of him."

The Asari girls surrounded him, cooing at his sleek black outfit that somehow revealed green muscles. "Is he straight?" Teelin squealed. He looked embarrassed.

Molly just stared at him over the top of her book. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. As he tried to get out of the knot of blue women, his black eyes fell on her. She felt herself blushing and hid behind the book. And just like that he was hurried out of the Parlor.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dee Dee half-dragged Molly into the Madame's office and spun off to clean more rooms.

The Asari Matriarch was sitting at her desk. She was looking at some of the latest jewelry from Molly's clients with a loupe and scanner.

The Madame looked up. "Molly, I've decided to branch out. I want to entertain more women, with male escorts based out of the Conthoral. That's why I acquired Baelyon. Henny and Trak just don't do it for the ladies."

"He is pretty handsome," she admitted.

"Drell men are handsome all over, if you know what I mean. They're big in porn vids right now." Leaning forward with a gleam in her eye, she said "I want you to educate him in the ways of human women. Once I get a few customers trying him, he'll be an Eezo mine. He just needs to know what he's doing. Consider this a pilot project. When word gets out about him, I'll buy a few more and you can train them too."

"How do I -- how do I get started?"

"Oh just bring him some good wine, I assure you it will be downhill from there," the Madame flourished a hand covered in flashy rings, laughing merrily as she returned to the jewelry.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I brought you some wine, Baelyon. To welcome you," she said, stepping into his room. It was smaller than hers and more simply decorated, in masculine earth tones.

He was standing in front of the window, hands clasped behind him. "Thank you", he said in a gravelly voice. He didn't look at her. She saw that his hands looked human in configuration, four fingers and a thumb on each hand. Parts of his throat were reddish and unscaled.

"Do you have a nice view from here?" she said, walking up beside him.

"I see the world outside. It is like being a caged bird", he answered softly.

"How did you end up here?"

"My Hanar master was a diplomat, but also a gambler. I had been his servant since I was a young boy. He sold me to pay a debt."

"That's awful," Molly tried to reply in a heartfelt way, but unable to ignore that gorgeous leather suit with the long jacket and big collar.

"At least he sold me to an establishment that won't force me to go against my nature. Or so I am told."

"Against your nature? Do you mean being with clients not of your species?"

He turned his head away from her. "No, I mean I won't have to be with other men."

"Oh." Molly felt a bit awkward. Attempting to restart the conversation, she said a little too quickly, "My name is Molly. I was sold too, by my own people. New Suffolk gave young boys and girls as a tribute. To Batarians."

At this he looked at her, blinking, and she saw that even his blinking was exotic -- an inner set of lids drew over his eyes horizontally before the outer lids shut vertically.

"The Batarians thought I was too old, too fat and ugly so they put me up for sale on the Extranet. I was luckier than the other ones ..."

"Ugly?"

"Well I wasn't really fit, then. I had acne. I didn't know how to do my hair. Or how to dress nicely, not that my family had money for nice clothes."

He looked back out the window, then started pacing around the room.

"Madame K. taught me and had other people train me. You look like you don't need any help," she laughed nervously. There were cutouts in his suit that left no doubt of his musculature under the fine green scales.

"The gods have seen fit to lead me to this place and I must serve, like a beast of burden."

The gods ... ? Oh what beautiful, full lips he had. Her mouth twitched of its own accord and she felt that her lips might fly across the room and kiss him.

"At least ... this is a good place, I think. Nice food, nice clothes. Clients aren't allowed to hurt us, well except for ..."  
Baelyon stopped his pacing. "Except?"

"Never mind. Here, I'll leave this wine with you." Her face burned and she fled the room.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Molly would try to time her pool visits when no one else was there. She didn't swim as well as the Asari. Also, everybody used the pool naked and she still felt self-conscious. One wall of the pool room was clear glass looking onto the city. Reena had told her all the windows in the Conthoral were coated so that nobody could see in, or record vids. Molly wasn't sure if she believed that.

The pool room sounded quiet and she pulled off her robe, getting a towel to put by the pool side. But somebody was swimming to the opposite side, quiet, like a shark in the water. Suddenly Baelyon was breaking through the surface, climbing up the ladder.

It was as if time had slowed down. First his green head with dark markings and ridges emerged, then muscular arms, followed by broad green shoulders, then his back. Water dripping down his sculpted muscles ... then she saw he was wearing tight black shorts that curved over a magnificent ass. His legs were muscular too. The water sparkled on his green scales and she dimly noticed he had a pattern of markings over his whole body.

She hadn't set one toe in the pool yet, and her head was already swimming.

He walked over to the shower and rinsed the salt off his body, then toweled off and put on a robe. Molly clutched a towel over herself. He nodded at her politely as he exited.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day, she was curled up in a big chair in the Parlor with a book. Baelyon approached her. The Asaris eyed him and giggled.

"I've been told you are to educate me," he said, which provoked more laughter.

Highly embarrassed, she ran off to her room, leaving the book behind. The Drell followed easily behind her and closed the door of her room. He politely handed the book back to her and went to stand by a window.

Clutching the book, then setting it down, she began, "I'm so sorry. You're so beautiful, you don't belong here. You should be free." 

"I am honor bound to serve my new master." His hands were clasped behind his back.

Now her face and neck were really burning. "What is the matter with your face?" he said.

"It's a sign of embarrassment, or shame," she choked out before running into the bathroom. She broke into tears and hastily tried to splash cool water on her face from the sink.

He followed behind and put his hand lightly on her shoulder. "You cry like my people do. Why are you weeping?"

Looking into the mirror at his reflection, she shook her head. "I don't know. I think ... now I know that I'm a slave, and you are too. I tried to pretend I was a princess, but I'm not. I'm still just a farm girl. And I'm a creature trapped in a cage. We both are."

"We are two birds caught in the same cage," he said gently. "I am bound by honor. What keeps you here?"

"She had a control chip implanted in me. She can switch it on and torture me with horrible pain. She says it will activate if I try to leave."

"That doesn't sound legal."

"I'm not sure it matters here. The girls told me that the law is a tricky thing on Illium."

After a moment, Molly thought of a happier subject. "Do you like to read? Books?"

"I have read great works of the Hanar and some novels. Not as book artifacts, but on datapads."

"Would you like to borrow one of mine?" Molly showed him the shelf of precious paper books.

"I can't read these letters." Seeing the disappointment in her face, he asked, "What was the name of the book you were reading when I first arrived?"

" _Persuasion_ by Jane Austen. Wait -- you remember that?"

"Drells remember everything. _Persuasion_ by Jane Austen. I will read it. In an alphabet I understand, on my datapad."

"They let you keep a datapad?"

"Yes, why not?"

"I'm not allowed to have one. I never had one. Apparently I'm better off as an ignorant human peasant," she said bitterly.

"An ignorant peasant that reads a lot of books," he mused.

"They're not really consistent here. Just look at how they decorated my suite," and she pointed out some of the glaring mismatches in design in the bedroom. The Drell had little knowledge of human styles but was willing to listen to her. She couldn't help but notice that he touched the fabrics and the furniture using all his finger tips and palm. As if drinking in the textures through his hand.

She also noticed that if she ever stuttered or stopped to correct herself, Baeylon was completely polite. No scornful sneers, no insults aimed at making her feel stupid. He put her at ease with his calm and steady demeanor, and flattered her with his attentiveness without any trace of condescension.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day, after shaking off her latest Turian conquest, she encountered Baelyon in the Parlor. She started to walk out, as if she'd been planning to go see Dr. Jetumseh. He extricated himself from a fawning Asari. "Molly," he called to her.

She stopped and let him come to her at a little side table. " 'She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older - the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning,' " he intoned.

Molly blushed a little. "That sounds like --"

"Anne. I read the book."

Lanika mocked them, saying "The little readers! Hah! Get a room!"

Henny put one long arm around each of them. "Come on, let's do as she says," and summarily marched them into Molly's suite. "See you two later."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I saw you blush again. It's very pretty," Baelyon said. "I will treasure the memory."

Molly put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

"What are you doing now?"

"Being childish."

"Let me see your tongue again. It looks pinker than mine." He stuck his tongue back at her.

His tongue looked quite human in shape, but with a green tinge around the pink.

"I thought you were more mature than me," she said.

"I'm only returning the favor," he laughed. He went over to her shelf of books.

"Do you want another book to read? _Pride and Prejudice_ is pretty good. Also by Jane Austen."

"I'll look on the Extranet. I did like _Persuasion_." he said. Turning toward her with his great black eyes, he became serious again. "Were you kept like women in the book? I mean on your colony? The Asari said you were very ignorant. Why were you kept unlearned, but allowed to read these books?"

"The Fathers were trying to rebuild English Protestant society as it used to be, including the submission of women to men, and 'racially inferior' people to superior Anglos. The books were a reminder of that past time. So girls were allowed to read old books if they wanted. I read as much as I could get my hands on, even old encyclopedias. A to Z."

"What did you mean, racially inferior?"

"Humans used to treat each other differently according to skin tone, language, name, origin. Even hair color and eye color. Well, they still do on New Suffolk. My hair and my name marked me as inferior." She pointed to her hair.

"Your hair?" he said, looking at it curiously.

"My hair is very dark. The superior people had yellow or light brown hair. Or they dyed it to be lighter."

"May I touch it?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." She turned her back to him.

She felt his hand smoothing over the crown of her head, then the locks at the side. "I don't think your hair is inferior."

"Anyway, they say that 'God made us in His own image.' I see now that intelligent aliens ruin the whole argument. If God is not necessarily human, then God is not necessarily a man either, and then why should women do what men tell them to?"

"Ha. What would your people make of me and my green color?"

"I think the ignorant ones would call you a demon and be very afraid."

"Are you afraid of me?"

"No," she said, "Not at all."

"Your people would be even more frightened of the Hanar."

Molly laughed at that one.

"I imagine they would not like my religion either. We have many gods and goddesses. I will tell you of them someday."

"Baeylon, do you know how to kiss?" She sat on the divan. He joined her and brushed a lock of hair from her face. "I have kissed a few Drell women."

"Let me show you how to kiss a human woman, " she said and kissed his beautiful soft lips. They embraced, and the smell of the leather filled her nostrils. Underneath the leather, faint hints of musk and cinnamon. 

They kissed, first with lips only and then using tongues. There was something spicy in his mouth that made her come back for more. She went to hold hands and realized his third and fourth fingers on each hand were fused. There was a smooth, light-colored fingernail on each finger. His palms were soft and light green; the backs of his hands were scaly. The emerald scales were smooth when stroked one way and a little rough when stroked the other. With their mouths locked and their hands touching, she felt as if they were making love. 

After a few long minutes, he pulled back, whispering a strange word, _deniya_. Their eyes locked and she saw there were jade green irises hidden in his dark eyes. "Oh Gods, your eyes," he breathed. "The colors. I didn't know humans had eyes like yours.

"Your eyes are lovely, I didn't see the green there before. I love green," she answered. He smiled at that and she felt a bit dizzy. Was he that good-looking that he could make a girl feel unsteady? "What does ' _deniya_ ' mean?"

"It means 'dearest one' in my language. Deni means dear one, but _deniya_ is more romantic."

"Can I call you Captain Wentworth?", she said, laughing.

"You can call me anything you want," and he kissed her again.

They continued touching each other's hands, examining the differences and the similarities. "How did your people survive with such soft, unprotected skin?" he said, and she felt his gravelly voice in her chest. It was not an unpleasant sensation.

"Technology, I guess. Using primitive weapons to hunt animals. Wearing their skins for clothes and shoes. Speaking of which, don't you want to get out of that leather?"

A smile flickered on his lips. He unzipped the jacket and took it off, letting it slide to the floor. Underneath there was a vest with buckles. She got a better look at the black markings snaking up from his hands, over his muscular arms, to his shoulders.

"Wow. Impressive. Are those tattoos?" she said, tracing the markings.

"No, I was born with these. Your turn," and she untied her blouse and threw it on the jacket. He took her freckled arms in his and hugged her.

"What are these markings?" he asked, trailing his fingers up her forearms to her shoulders.

"Freckles. Pigmentation from the sun."

"Molly, I must confess ... I find you much more attractive than the Asari," he said into her neck. He stroked her shoulders. She climbed onto his lap and tickled his red throat, and caressed the ridges and markings on his head.

"Have you been with an Asari?" she said, hoping he had not.

"No, I was never interested. The ones here are even less attractive to me."

"What's wrong with them?"

"Their immodesty and blatant coquettishness ... it does not create desire in me." 

A wicked thought struck her. "Do Drell women have breasts?"

"No," he answered, looking rather nonchalant on the subject. "I know they are meant to feed infants and that some aliens make a fetish of them."

"Let me show you ..." she said, bringing his hands down to the swell of her breasts above her bra.

"Why do you wear this - thing?"

"It's called a bra, it's a type of underwear. It keeps breasts high and in place. Protects them. Also, gravity has a tendency to make them droopy. Most men don't want them sagging too much."

"Also," she continued, grinning, "The nipples harden sometimes with cold air or sexual arousal, and it's impolite to let them show through clothing. Bras can hide that."

"Oh?" he said, looking a little more interested.

"Here," and her bra was on the floor. "See how I hold them gently? Try it."

He imitated her cupping gesture. "No, try - like this," and she gently squeezed his arms. "Ah, that's more like it. Start on the sides, and tease the nipple."

"I see ... they are darkening in color and becoming more firm and erect."

"Yes, very sensitive, oh!" He was gently rubbing his index fingers on her nipples.

"Now put your mouth on my tit like it was a fruit that you suck, not too hard," she said.

"Tit?"

"That's the vulgar word for it, oh!" she said as he bent his head down and put his mouth on her.

"And use your tongue on the nipple, ah! while you stroke the outside with your hand," she was moaning and twisting in his lap.

"But _deniya_ , I have only one mouth and one tongue," he grinned. "Doesn't your other tit get lonely?"

"Put your other hand on the free one and don't stop," she said, clutching his head to her chest. "Go back and forth." Soon she was writhing on his lap, and his flesh was answering.

"You're so responsive. I think ... I think I should get out of these pants before I hurt myself, " he said in a wry tone.

She watched as he took off his vest and then peeled off his pants, back turned. He had black shorts on underneath. And his ass ... what a gorgeous, sculpted ass, mouth-wateringly fine. He turned back and there was a considerable bulge.

Molly shimmied out of her skirt, wearing only white lace panties. He looked at her and then they both charged each other at the same moment, flinging themselves into each other's arms, spinning, falling down onto the bed, her on top. Desperately they pulled off their last bits of clothing. 

He was blessed with a green-and-pink cock, thick, not as long as a Turian's but long enough, covered in a series of ribs and nubs. His groin was smooth, scaleless, reddish like his throat. One stroke with her hand confirmed that his cock was covered in soft skin but hard underneath. She had to get it in her. 

She straddled him and roughly pushed his hardness into her. He arched up and sucked at her breasts. She bounced on him, as hard and as fast as she could go, rocking back and forth, moaning and gasping. He put his palms on her nipples and looked up at her. She groaned as her pussy clenched around his cock. And collapsed on him with her explosive orgasm.

"Now that you've taken your pleasure from me, let me take mine," he laughed, and carefully got on top of her. He was heavy, and he tried not to put too much weight on any single part of her. He pressed the tip of his cock into her. Drawing her legs up, he pushed into her slowly, then released. She felt every single rib and bump on his cock, pressing up against her walls. He kissed her all the while. She grabbed his deliciously-formed ass cheeks. His strokes gradually became stronger and faster until he was hammering her, making her sob with pleasure. Then he came and tried to roll off her, but she kept him there with her legs.

"I want to feel you," she said, drawing him close, feeling his body heavy on her, the throbbing inside, warm wet semen soaking her. She felt dizzy again, and her vision seemed off.

"Molly, are you okay?" he said. "I have heard that the saliva of Drell can cause strange sensory effects in humans."

"Oh, and I here I thought it was your love-making skills that were making me faint."

"Ha." His strong arms held her close and their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly.

"This is how love should be," he murmured. "I wish we had met outside this place, _deniya_."

When their lips met again, it was like she was a thirsty pilgrim in the desert. A pilgrim who had finally reached an oasis and was given a glass of clear, cool water. He quenched her thirst, but after they parted, she longed to drink from his lips again.


	16. Chapter 16

After two weeks, Baelyon's training period was officially over. He was leaving the Conthoral to 'escort' clients, which involved him acting as if he were their date in public and then going back to their place or a hotel room for sex.

There were few Asari clients. The blue women thought he was handsome, but apparently the joining didn't go well. Molly assumed it was some Drell-Asari biological incompatibility.

He and Molly had stolen moments when he was back at the Conthoral and they thought no one was looking. They traded Jane Austen quotes and took their love where they could find it, in closets or nooks or anywhere they could steal a few minutes alone, unseen by the Madame's cameras. Sometimes just an embrace, a squeeze of the hand, a kiss. Sometimes a love-making session, as fast as they could manage. The little fooling-around sessions with Reena completely fell by the wayside.

Molly suspected the Madame knew, but tolerated it because she was still teaching the Drell. The girls knew -- Molly had a stupid, half-dazed look after the more involved trysts. And besides, she smelled of leather and cinnamon. Henny and Trak teased her about that on more than one occasion.

Molly began asking the Asari tailor to have her dresses incorporate leather. She obtained perfumes with cinnamon from the Asari girls. She knew that if Turians could smell Baelyon on her from a few feet away, the Gentleman would certainly catch it while he was fucking her.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On the week of her period, the blood didn't come. She became anxious as she didn't want to disappoint Mormax. She lied when he came to call in the Parlor, then finally whispered a confession in a camera-less corner of the bathroom.

"Do you want to cut me here", she offered, gesturing to her high inner thigh, "and we can pretend?"

"No," he said, in a stubborn, disappointed voice. "Are you sick?"

"I don't know. I'm afraid to tell the Doctor. Don't say anything or the Madame might notice."

The Krogan rummaged through her various toiletries. "Morronut shampoo? Let's just use this." He said loudly, "I DO LIKE MORRONUT, LET'S TRY THIS FOR A CHANGE." They got in the bathtub and she squirted the nut-scented pink shampoo down on his face. And they proceeded as they had done before.

Later in the damp tangle of sheets on the floor, she whispered "Thank you for being understanding. Please don't tell the Madame."

"It's all right, it's our little secret", he said. "You're nicer than Charlie was. I have to remember to bring you a present next time."

"Charlie? Did you see her too?"

"Yes. Oh wait, I'm not supposed to talk about it. A Turian stole her away. I hope he doesn't take you away, too. Do you like him?"

"The Gentleman? It's not a matter of liking him. You're very sweet though. Much sweeter."

Mormax was placated and began telling her for the third time about a battle where he fought against and with Vorcha at the same time, throwing the beastly aliens around and sometimes accidentally tossing his allies. It was a funny story and she laughed, and stroked his cheeks, and all was well.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

In her closet, behind the rack of clothes, half-stifled. Baelyon had her up against the wall and was driving into her with unusual ferocity.

"Is it him?" he said harshly in her ear. It jolted her out of the Drell love-haze.

"Who?"

"The Krogan, is he the one who hurts you?"

"No - what are you talking about?"

"How do you accommodate him?"

He had stopped thrusting into her.

"He - we don't have real sex."

"What?"

"He puts his cock between my thighs and I squeeze them, and he sort of fucks my legs."

"Like this?" and Baelyon withdrew his cock and put it between her thighs.

"Yes. Don't tell anyone. It's a secret. And half of why he comes to see me is, to tell his stories while we lie in sheets on the floor. He's just a harmless old man who needs someone to listen." Molly thought it better to leave out the messy part.

"I think he's missing out, _deniya_ ," and the Drell put his cock back in her.

"Anyway, look at you, all the women you're fucking," she said in a teasing voice. "Should I be jealous?"

"No. I always think of you when I'm with those women. I summon the memories of your face and voice and body. I call them _deni_ and they have no idea what I'm saying. I have made love to you more times than you realize."

A short pause where the only sound was their panting, and then he continued, "There's a reason I'm not seeing many Asari. It's the joining. They see you in my mind."

"Oh Baelyon," she grabbed him tightly. "I think I love you --"

He came, spurting into her.

"I would ask you to be my wife, if we weren't in this place. This awful place," he breathed in her ear, and she felt a moistness on her cheek.

"Why would you want to marry me? I'm just a whore," she said, tearing up.

"You didn't choose to come here. Your heart is good, my beautiful _deniya_ ," he replied, brushing tears from both their cheeks.

They knelt on the floor of her closet for a moment, embracing, before cleaning up and going their separate ways.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the middle of one of their trysts: "Baelyon, if we got away from the Conthoral, where would we go?"

"Where do you want to go? Back to your colony?"

"No. Never. I miss my family but the rest of that place ..."

"Then, where?"

"Off this planet. But I don't know where. Do you want to go back to Kahje?"

"No. It would be going back to servitude under the Hanar, and a slow death on their ocean world. Molly, my people were meant to live in an arid climate. That is where we flourish, where our lungs are healthy."

"I just want to be with you. I never thought about it before, but I'd live in the desert for you."

"What would we do, _deniya_? To live? All I have been trained for is servitude."

"I know how to farm. I'll show you how. We can raise plants and animals."

"In the desert?"

"I'm sure there are many things that can flourish in the desert, just like your people did."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Molly managed to encounter the Doctor in a part of the hall where no cameras had been spotted.

"Dr. Jetumseh, can I talk to you? In confidence?" she whispered, making sure nobody else was around.

"Of course. What is the matter?"

"I missed my period -- my menstrual cycle, twice. Can you check and see if anything's wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me before? What about Mormax?" the Salarian said, all concern.

"Oh, the old man is very understanding. We found ... substitutes. Morronut shampoo is his favorite."

"Let me draw your blood and run a few scans," he said, hustling her to his office.

After running some tests, he turned to her, perplexed. "Molly, have you been with any humans? Any male humans?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"None."

"That's strange, because you appear to be pregnant. Turian biology is too far-off. There's no way your eggs could be fertilized by their sperm."

"How could I be pregnant??? What will the Madame do?"

"Let's not panic. I'll run some more tests. We won't tell her, not yet anyway. Don't say anything to the girls either. Or the Gentleman."

As she was leaving, he said "Dee Dee will bring you more bottles of Morronut shampoo."


	17. Chapter 17

On her next visit to the office, Dr. Jetumseh whispered, "Molly, this is very strange. I think Baelyon is the father of your child. Well, unless you've been with any other Drell lately, but that seems highly unlikely."

"How could that happen?"

"I don't know. Your hips suggest you are fertile. Hmm. Alien seed finds fertile ground? How many times have you had sexual intercourse?"

"Probably dozens of times," she said. "Doctor, I love him. I don't want to abort his child."

"It would be the easiest way to deal with this situation," he said. "Until further along in your gestation we won't know if this is a healthy pregnancy." Regarding her face, he continued, "But I can see you want to keep the child. Will think about this."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Gentleman arrived, unannounced. A very disappointed Turian was sent away with a full refund. Baelyon must have seen the look on her face because he got up and started to approach her. One of the Krogans caught him by the arm and turned him 180 degrees in mid-step. "Madame K. wants to see you," she said, marching him out, as Molly and the Gentleman disappeared into the human suite.

"What's wrong, Molly? Didn't you miss me?" he asked in English, in a mocking tone.

Molly was infinitely relieved that she had taken a thorough shower soon before his arrival -- a necessity with the sharp noses of Turians, so they wouldn't smell the previous client on her. She hoped he would not smell any trace of Baelyon, or find any lingering green scales on her skin. 

Trying to hide her feelings, she said "Did you bring me a present?" It came out more childish and coquettish than she had intended.

"Many presents." He put his things down on the floor and took ahold of her, kissing her in that lipless way.

"Molly, you are fatter than ever. Have you been eating too much?" He poked at her stomach.

"I suppose ..." she said. "Don't you like my tits being bigger?" she angled herself to show off her figure.

"Mmm you little slut, let me see them," and he knelt down and ripped her dress open. His tongue emerged and lapped at one breast, then the other. She moaned and writhed in response.

"I see you're becoming quite the whore. Who was that Drell in the Parlor?"

"Oh nobody, someone the Madame is going to sell to a rich Matriarch," she lied quickly.

"Gigolo. Pathetic."

She made every effort to distract the Turian, to make him happy. It worked, for awhile, and then he grew suspicious and cruel. He tied her wrists to the bed post and pulled back one on the wall hangings so the mirror behind it was revealed. The Gentleman spanked her hard with the Turian-handled hairbrush, and then fucked her while digging his claws into her sore ass. All the while he made her look into the mirror, at what he was doing to her.

Sated, he untied her and let her rest. He gave her another book. As she laid nestled up against him, he stroked her hair.

"If that Drell comes near you, I'll kill him. I will gut him from neck to groin, skin him, and have his hide made into a dress for you. I'll cook his gizzards and serve them up to you myself."

Molly thanked whatever gods were out there that all the bed linens were fresh, and the Gentleman had no interest in burrowing into the depths of her closet. If he had detected Baelyon's scent, someone's life might have ended that day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Gentleman eventually took his leave, and the Madame popped by for a visit, and Dr. Jetumseh stayed. As before, the doctor's rapid voice seemed to call her out of the dark depths.

"Are you all right?" he said. "Molly, I know you try to keep a brave face, but I can help you. Not just bandaging any ... surface inuries. Also pain-killers. Antidepressants."

"Did he treat the other girls like this?" she said, pulling up her robe and displaying her bruised, scratched ass.

"Yes. Sometimes worse. Here is something to put on the affected area. I'll have Dee Dee bring in some ice." He handed her a tube of ointment.

There was a knock on the door and Molly quickly rearranged her robe. Baelyon came in, ignoring the Doctor.

"Are you all right? I haven't seen you in four days." Seeing the look on her face, he grabbed her hand. "What is wrong, _deniya_?"

"I ... I can't see you now. I need to rest."

"It's that Turian, he's the one who hurts you, isn't he!" Baelyon's hands balled into fists and his teeth gritted.

"Come now, she needs to rest," the Salarian took him by the arm and hurried him out.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Doctor, what really happened to the girl before me? Charlie? And the ones before her? Does he have a harem of them?"

"I really don't know. But I suspect it's not good." The Salarian sighed. "Molly, Turian men don't act like this, not openly. They don't mistreat women and they are supposed to be monogamous. Abuse and polygamy would be considered beyond the pale in polite Turian society. This Gentleman is obviously rich and high-class. It doesn't make sense."

He turned back to her. "I'm worried for you, and the baby you're carrying," he said quietly.

"I'm worried for Baelyon. I think he might try to kill the Gentleman, or vice-versa."

"Yes, I've considered that as well. I think we should plan on getting you two, or you three, out of here."

"Would you do that?" she said, floored by his generous and courageous offer.

"I will help you leave, on one condition. Take Dee Dee with you. She doesn't deserve to die in here."

"She?"

"Dee Dee is my sister. I made a deal with Karlyiah to keep her true sex a secret. Otherwise, with the perverts that come in here ..." he wrung his hands together. "Salarians aren't designed the same as you sexual races. Physiology totally different. Better for Dee Dee to be a maid than severely injured, eventually killed, by rape." He looked out the window. "But K. is killing her slowly with the work. Should my sister spend her short days in drudgery? Having to clean up after the perversions in this place? I know you've been kind to her. Take her with you and take care of her. Give her some happiness at the end of her life."

"I will," Molly said, her eyes welling up. She hugged him and he returned the embrace with some awkwardness.

"Come back when your next customer has given you jewelry. She'll be looking at the gems instead of us. I will remove the control chip. Work on your Galactic so that no one will know it's gone."


	18. Chapter 18

The Gentleman returned, sooner than expected. She heard his voice outside the door and her stomach dropped. The Madame entered her suite with him.

"My dear, I'm so happy for you. The Gentleman wants to take you home."

Molly's stomach dropped further.

"But it's rather early and I haven't recouped my investment so ... I want double the price we agreed on. 400,000 credits."

"Are you joking?" he turned and looked at her with impassive yellow-orange eyes.

"No joke. I spent a month training her. I expect to have at least a year's return. You're taking her early, so I need more compensation."

"You want to press me on this, Karlayah?" he said. Molly knew the look on his face.

"400,000 credits. Or do you want me to reveal some of your peccadillos to the admirals? The Turian fleet might stop buying your ships, Altus."

"400,000 credits for this little whore? I know she's been fucking that Drell."

"I should raise the price, she ruined him for Asari customers! 500,000 credits!"

The Turian grabbed the Asari by the neck. He choked Madame K. until her face began to darken. "You greedy bitch, you really think you can shank me?"

"Stop!" Molly cried and tugged at his elbow, but he backhanded her and she sprawled on the floor.

"Yes, I'll stop," he said, and taking a gun from his jacket, he shot the Madame in the head. Dark blue blood welled out of the wound and the Madame fell to the floor, jerking and then lying still.

He grabbed Molly by the hand and dragged her out of the suite. He pointed the gun at anyone they encountered. Baelyon was not in the Parlor, for which she was thankful. Seeing the Krogans, he turned the gun on her head and they stood aside. Vesha said, "But the control chip --", to which the Gentleman hissed "I don't care."

He dragged her up to the metal door, which opened almost faster than the eye could see, and pulled her through.

Beyond there was a big open area with metal and glass. Flying cars were parked on one side. He threw her into a car, closed the door on her and ran around to the other side. The car was soon flying out through another, larger metal door into the open city.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The car was soaring among the towers. It would have been a beautiful sight if she weren't in the predicament. 

"You didn't feel pain on the way out," he said, looking at her. He grabbed the back of her neck for a moment before refocusing on driving. "That Salarian doctor does good work, I can barely tell that the control chip is gone. What did you do for him? Satisfy some weird Salarian fetish?"

"I was kind to Dee Dee," she answered.

"Who?"

"The Salarian servant."

"Oh. The Madame's idiot frog. Well I suppose there is unity in weakness." He smiled contemptuously. "Your Galactic is better than I gave you credit for. How long have you been fooling everyone?"

"A few weeks."

They were passing out of the city into territory with smaller buildings and more vegetation. Eventually they reached what seemed like an outpost with a few small spaceships parked.

He practically dragged her out of the car. "We're going back to my summer house on the far side of Illium," he hissed as he marched her into the small spaceport. "I need you to be quiet the whole way. If you cause any trouble, I'll kill you and then I'll go back to the Conthoral and slaughter everyone there. The Salarians, Reena, your Drell lover, everyone. Oh yes, I have an inside girl. I'll kill her too, of course."

He purchased an airtight shipping container and when they were out of sight of prying eyes and cameras, made her crawl into it. "Breathe slowly. I don't want you to run out of air before we get home."


	19. Chapter 19

When the shipping container was opened, bright sunlight blinded her. Turian hands pulled her out unceremoniously.

Her eyes adjusted and she saw they were outside a small spaceport. The Gentleman making ready to drag her into a flying car, different from the ones she'd seen flying around Nos Astra. Another Turian walked by and looked at them curiously. He grabbed her by the wrist and whispered, "Not a word."

The flying car was rather uncomfortable and hot, evidently made for the bodies of Turians rather than Asari. It was a long ride. He switched on a radio where the speakers were all incomprehensible, speaking in Turian language, she guessed.

"Did you love that Drell?" he said finally in a flat voice, in English.

"Yes." Molly saw no point in lying.

"Was he better in bed?"

"Different," she replied.

"How so?"

"You gave pleasure to my body and you hurt me too. But the worst thing was, you crushed my soul. Baelyon and I, we made love, we talked, he made me feel like a worthwhile person."

The Turian snorted. "What is a Drell but a lizard walking on two legs. Pathetic slaves of jellyfish. You know most of them die before they get old? From their ridiculous weak lungs."

"We were going to live in the desert."

"You were never going to live in the desert, dear sweet little Molly. You're meant to be mine, forever."

Molly summoned the courage to look at him directly. "The Madame had cameras all over the Conthoral. You know that, right? There must be video of you murdering her. Surely they wouldn't let you get away with killing a Matriarch? On Illium?"

He responded in that flat voice without looking at her. "My inside girl will take care of it." Molly saw his mandibles flare ever so slightly, like Trak's did when Omega was mentioned -- it was like the human version of a vein jumping in the cheek.

"Would you like to know what happened to your family at New Suffolk?" he said in a casual tone.

"What happened?"

"The Batarians decimated the place. They massacred everybody. Your family, your friends, all dead, Molly," he said off-handedly.

"You're lying!"

"You know I'm not," he answered back.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At sunset they reached his estate, which seemed considerable in size for a so-called summer house. Kilometers of lush tropical vegetation surrounded a palatial-looking building. Aliens greeted him when the car landed, bipeds with four eyes, carrying weapons. His servants or guards, she guessed from their deferential attitude. The Gentleman squeezed her wrist hard and escorted her into the building. One servant followed.

The building was huge and airy inside, warm, with indoor waterfalls and plants. Even without ever having seen Turian architecture before, Molly knew this was an expensive house. The Gentleman marched her up a grand set of stairs as she gawked.

"All this from building ships? Spaceships?"

"Generations of my family headed the firm that built some of the largest Turian warships as well as the most successful line of cruisers," he said proudly. "My own grandfather commanded a warship in the Relay 314 Incident." He brought her into a huge room with a large bed in the center. The four-eyed servant followed them in.

"And now my dear, will you excuse me while I attend to a few matters. You can freshen up in the bathroom," he said, stepping out and the door closing behind him.

After using the bathroom with the oddly-shaped Turian toilet, Molly looked around. There was the bed, some decorations and artwork on the walls, some other furniture. Also a large oblong box with clear sides, about eight feet tall, empty. It appeared to sit on wheels. There was some kind of equipment and machinery attached to the box. A series of tracks ran from box to a door that was open, beyond which she could see the night and exotic trees.

The servant was standing by the door they had come through. He was looking her up and down with both sets of eyes. "It's too bad what he's going to do to you. I wish he'd share you around with the boys." The alien, harsh quality of his voice seemed strangely familiar.

"What do you mean?" she replied with indignation.

"He never shares, and then of course they're no good," he said. "He might be gone a few minutes, want to have a go?"

Molly shuddered. "Get out before I scream. The Gentleman wouldn't tolerate you talking to me like this."

"Have it your way," the servant said and stepped out of the room.

The door he had left through was locked. She followed the tracks out and found herself on a high balcony looking over a garden surrounded by tall trees. There was a natural-looking pool in the center. Stationed around the pool on a stone pathway, there were more of those oblong boxes with little lights set in the ground, illuminating them. They seemed to contain statues.

There were stairs descending from the balcony. She started to go down them, but was turned back by the sight of another gun-wielding, four-eyed alien walking through the garden.

She returned to the large bedroom. Among the decorations on the walls, there was a plaque with a sword-like weapon hung on it. She pulled the sword off the mount and waited by the main door.

Some time later the door opened rapidly. She swung the weapon down on the Gentleman as hard as she could. It just broke on his crest. He turned and looked at her with that fatal expression, and then just laughed at her.

"Antique ceremonial sword. Probably worth more than you. But the look on your face is priceless," he said shaking fragments off his superarum. "You really are a little fool."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"One last time, Molly. Make love to me like you do with that Drell. And then I promise you, you'll never see my face again. He won't be harmed and neither will anyone else at the Conthoral."

"And if I don't want to?"

"I promise on my honor as a Turian that you will make love to me now and you will see me no more. Or you and all you hold dear will die horribly," he said with an expression of earnestness, as he came very close and towered over her.

"Will you tell me why?" she said, forcing her head up to meet his gaze.

"Why what, you silly little fool?"

"Why are you doing this? Why do you kiss me instead of touching foreheads?"

"Many of my family died in the Relay battles. My family who knew that my mother and I were not quite -- stable", he exhaled with a hiss. "I would not be the head of this firm if it weren't for humans. You humans killed my family, but you put me in this place too," he whispered as he ran a hand along her arm. "Sometimes I feel half-human myself. And then I must punish myself."

Molly felt herself sinking down into the earth again as she sank down on the bed. His superarum was coming off and then he was kissing her liplessly with a soft passion. He was tearing off her dress, shredding it with his talons, but carefully so he didn't scratch her flesh in the process. His tongue was unfurling onto her neck. His mouth was opening wide and his teeth were just starting to dig in.


	20. Chapter 20

Suddenly there was a sound outside from the balcony. The Gentleman and Molly both looked up from the bed. Baelyon and Kerr were coming in from the balcony, Baeylon with a handgun and the Krogan with a shotgun. "Let her go, monster," Baeylon hissed as they advanced.

The Gentleman slowly rose to his feet, hands in the air. "How did you find us?"

"We found Teelin in the Madame's office trying to erase the vids. Unsuccessfully."

"Surely we can make a deal. What do you want? Money? I have enough to share."

Kerr gestured with her shotgun. "We're not letting you get away with murder. Time to face the music, Altus."

"You figured out my name, you fat bitch?"

"It was in Karliyah's files, you skinny asshole."

During this exchange, Molly ran to Baelyon's side, barefoot and only wearing underwear. He slid one arm around her while still holding the gun in his other hand. The Turian looked at them and narrowed his eyes.

"Should we call the police? The evidence out there is damning," Baeylon said to Kerr.

At that the Turian ran full stop to the balcony door. Kerr fired her shotgun at him and he caught the blast, stumbling back. One of the alien guards came in, shouting. Baelyon dropped him with a quick pistol shot to the head.

Kerr moved with surprising speed toward the staggering, wounded Gentleman. "So tell us, scumbag, what are you doing to these poor humans?"

Baeylon advanced a little closer, pistol aimed squarely at the Turian's head, while trying to keep Molly behind him.

The Turian fell back until he was slumped up against the clear box. Molly peered around at the machinery. "What does that lever do?"

The Gentleman's mandibles twitched. She saw it and so did Kerr. "Press that lever," the Krogan barked.

One three-fingered hand pushed down on the lever. A wall of the box opened and he stepped in, then the box closed again.

Another four-eyed alien burst in from the balcony door, and this time Kerr took him down with her shotgun.

Molly ran up to the machinery around the box. "What does this red button do?" she asked. The Gentleman's mandibles twitched again and he began to say "no" in English. He was sliding down to his knees in a begging posture.

Molly pressed it.

Suddenly the machinery whirred and gas filled the box, obscuring the Turian. When it dissipated, the Turian was perfectly still, in his begging pose with "no" forming on his mandibles. The box slid forward on the tracks.

As the trio followed the box, Baelyon swung his hand and a shimmering device appeared over it. "I'll call the shuttle." 

"What is that?" asked Molly.

"Omni-tool. I was forbidden to have one by the Madame, but since she's no longer alive ..." He smiled at the device. "No master now."

A shuttle zoomed over head and hovered, as the box traveled on the tracks to the edge of the balcony. A crane unfolded itself and picked the box up, and set it on the ground in the garden. 

They went down the stairs to the garden level. Kerr pointed at the other clear boxes with the statues. "I'm pretty sure they're dead."

Inside the transparent monoliths there were women, not statues. Young human women, unmoving. They were all naked, looking up, frozen in attitudes of fear and pain. They each had obvious, unhealed bite marks on their necks and shoulders. One girl had bright red hair -- orange, really. This must be Charlie.

Baelyon embraced Molly. " _Deniya_ , he was going to add you to this -- this collection."

"We knew something bad happened to Charlie. Didn't want it to happen to you, too," said Kerr. "Let's get out of here before the Batarians figure out what happened."

"Batarians?"

"The assholes with four eyes. Batarians are working security here. Just shows you what a bastard Altus was."

Baelyon called the shuttle down to the garden and they boarded it. To her surprise she saw Lanaki waiting with Reena. "I'm sorry if I was awful to you before," she said, her voice heavy with sadness. "It's just that when Charlie was gone, I was heartbroken. I couldn't stand seeing another human taking her place." She turned and sobbed into Reena's shoulder.

The shuttle veered off as more Batarians were running to the balcony and into the garden. They fired a few shots at the shuttle but missed.

Baeylon took his jacket off and put it around Molly. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you are carrying my child? I had to learn it from the Doctor."

"I was afraid that the Madame would find out and force me to have an abortion. Or that you would kill the Gentleman and end up in prison, or worse. I want to have this baby, and I want the baby to have a father," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

"I love you, _deniyah_."

"You're the only one in my heart. The only one, since the day I first saw you," she wept into his shoulder.


	21. Chapter 21

Back on Illium, the authorities were sorting out the murder of Madame K. The matter of the high-ranking Turian was hushed up. Analaya took over as Madame of the Conthoral. She gave Molly the jewelry that the Madame had taken from her but not yet sold.

Molly and Baeylon sold some of that jewelry and temporarily rented two furnished apartments in Nos Astra while the investigation was still going. One for Dee Dee, and one for them.

The first day they had their apartment, Molly spent time grieving over her family. Baeylon had confirmed through news reports that New Suffolk had been destroyed. Molly had already cried her eyes out and come to terms with the loss. This was a day of lighting candles and remembering her mother and father and each of her brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends.

The second day, they went to a human embassy and spent long hours trying to clear up Molly's legal status and identity. Immediately after that was finalized, they got officially married in a civil ceremony. Then they came home and Baeylon recited Persuasion to her by memory, and they tried to cook for each other, with mixed success. 

During the long waits between bureaucratic procedures, Molly asked him how he was able to handle a gun so well. He described the training he had received as a boy; not only to serve the Hanar but also act as a bodyguard and occasional assassin. And he also told her something of his Gods and Goddesses, which were many and rather confusing.

On the third day, Baeylon came to Molly. He knelt and put his hand on her belly, which was just slightly swollen. He looked up at her and his dark eyes were filled with love. Molly raised him up and they kissed, slowly. They touched each others' hands. They undressed each other slowly. It was as if they were reacquainting one another with their bodies. 

Now she finally had time to admire how beautiful he was, without shyness, without worry of being caught. Every part of him was better than any gem she'd ever seen, any work of art. Whether it was the emerald green of his scales, the jade of his irises, the liquid onyx of his pupils, or the ruby-pink of his throat. Whether it was his magnificent sculpted ass, or his gorgeous pink-and-green cock in all its shapely glory. And his glorious lips, they made her soar higher than any eagle could. There was no treasure greater than him.

And Baeylon reveled in her body, relearning every little bit. Every curve, every square inch of skin, every freckle. Every scent. Every tress of her hair. Every fraction of her womanhood that he rediscovered with his fingers and tongue and cock. Mentally cataloging the many sounds of her pleasure. He was laying down memory upon memory. He felt as if he were blessed by the Gods in having such a wife.

No more hurried trysts like when they were caught in the Conthoral. No more worrying about being caught or wondering if they'd missed a camera. Now was the time for slow, sweet love-making, often without climax, just union of flesh and union of soul.

No more worries of being owned. Now they belonged only to each other, and it was the greatest freedom either one had ever felt.


	22. Epilogue

Baelyon read Galactic translations of every one of Molly's paper books, committing them to memory as he read them -- he could read the books back to her later. They sold the books and the remaining jewelry. 

With their modest wealth, the couple was able set up house on the sparsely-settled planet Kordon, in a dry area near an expanse of desert. They bought land: a mesa surrounded by a network of arroyos. On the mesa, they had a prefab house and cottage installed, along with some outbuildings, and solar and wind generators. They had a freshwater pool set in the back yard. Dee Dee lived in the cottage and bathed in the pool every day. Her cottage was humidified and Molly often went to visit, luxuriating in the damp air. Soon after, Vesha, the youngest Krogan from the Conthoral, chose to join them, taking up residence in an outbuilding.

With the help of farm machinery and mechs, they grew exotic fruits and spices in the land around them, enough to barter for necessities with nearby settlements. Molly raised hydroponic tomatoes and soon became famous for them, as well as the large hats she wore to protect herself from the sun. They bought desert goats and learned to make cheese from their milk. They also raised chickens, strains that were adapted to the warm, arid environment.

Not long after they had established themselves, another Drell-human couple came to live in the closest town. Then more settled in the area, and more children were born. Eventually Kordan would become known for the desert culture of the _anarmos_ , the Drell-human hybrids.

Molly and Baelyon's first child was born at ten months. He was a strong little fellow who took after his father for the most part. The second child was a girl who looked mostly human. And they kept on having babies. Only one didn't survive birth; the other eleven children were healthy, energetic, curious, beautiful in their various ways. The original pre-fab house had several additions tacked on to house them all.

Baelyon often recited books he'd memorized to Molly and her children. He was a walking library to them, and the children constantly asked him for one more "story", until Molly had to start ordering books from off-world so the poor man could get some rest.

Dee Dee and Vesha delighted in the children. Sadly, five years after they reached this place of peace, the Salarian withered over the space of a few months and died. Dr. Jetumseh came to stay with her at the end. After Dee Dee died, they burned her body on a pyre of dry vegetation. Dee Dee's ashes were buried at the base of the first successful tree they had planted.

Baelyon loved Molly with a passion that never waned. Even in their old age, they made love like young people who had just fallen in love. He died before she did, and with his dying breath he promised to meet her in the afterlife. She followed him soon after. Their children and their children's children mingled Baelyon and Molly's ashes, and scattered them to the winds of the desert.


End file.
